Angela Abdur-Rasheed lovingly refers to United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) as United Way of Caring for Angela. And for good reason. When she was just a toddler, doctors at United Way partner agency Children’s of Alabama saved her life after her neck was severely lacerated while trying to retrieve a ball from under a bed.
Then years later, in 2010, when Abdur-Rasheed experienced a disruptive divorce, United Way gave her a job as a Loaned Executive, which set her on the path to a successful career. Today she is Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Prosper, a Birmingham nonprofit dedicated to strategic workforce development.
As she recently told members of the J. Mason Davis Leadership Society (JMDLS), the life-changing United Way services and opportunities from which Abdur-Rasheed has benefited have been made possible because of people connected to donor networks who support UWCA year after year. The remarks were made at Uptown Jazz in Birmingham during the JMDLS kickoff event for United Way’s 2024 Annual Campaign. The J. Mason Davis Leadership Society is, itself, one of United Way’s donor networks.
“On behalf of all the other men and women, boys and girls, who are the beneficiaries of your benevolence, I want to say thank you,” Abdur-Rasheed said. “On behalf of the parents who are in a panic and don’t know what to do about after-school care…people experiencing health challenges… people experiencing housing insecurity or food insecurity, I want to say, thank you.”
JMDLS brings together African American changemakers from across Central Alabama for networking, fellowship and productive community engagement. A major focus of the group is education. Leroy Abrahams, Chair of this year’s UWCA campaign and Head of Community Affairs at Regions Bank, pointed to the great need for accessible childcare and early education services in Central Alabama.
“Some kids have the benefit of engaged parents who have time to teach them and do all the things that they need to do at home. But the majority of families may not have that opportunity,” Abrahams said. “So they need preschool education.” He went on to say that, through its Early Learning Acceleration Institute, United Way has helped increase our capacity to provide care and learning opportunities for an additional 419 children this year.
Abrahams also highlighted the fact that more than 57,000 kids in Central Alabama participate in various academic and career-support initiatives through United Way partners and programs. He said that early education paves the way for youth to graduate and go on to build successful careers and fulfilling lives.
To learn more about the JMDLS, click here. To learn more about the many ways United Way brings positive impact in Central Alabama, click here.
