Straight out of college and new to the workplace, Kelly Morrison thought she was “being thrown to the wolves.”
Three months after beginning her career at the former AmSouth Bank, Kelly was told she was being assigned to work for United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) for 13 weeks as a Loaned Executive, raising money for UWCA’s Annual Campaign. For someone who was just starting out, that was a bit of a jolt. And then, to add to her trepidation, a week after the 2001 Annual Campaign began, September 11th happened.
On top of the shock, sadness, fright and anger people were feeling as a result of those events, Kelly said staff were concerned that the collective mourning throughout the community and the nation would make fundraising especially difficult. But, as she said, “everyone stepped up.” That was a great indicator to a young Loaned Executive of how giving this community can be – and how important United Way is to so many people.
Ever since , Kelly and her husband Ron, who is the South Region Development Officer for FirstBank, have become increasingly involved with, and dedicated to, United Way. As faithful stewards of UWCA’s mission, they are now serving as Chairs of our Tocqueville Society.
The Tocqueville Society is a group of donors recognized for their significant contributions to their community through United Way. In this role, the Morrisons are tasked with maintaining and growing membership, which directly impacts UWCA’s ability to extend its services to more people in need.
Tocqueville donors since 2014, the Morrisons said they have found their role this year to be particularly fulfilling. It’s also proving to be a great outlet for their competitive spirit and dedication. “It’s a rewarding thing to do,” said Ron. “It’s one of those things where if somebody asks you [to chair the Tocqueville Society], you don’t want to say no because you know it’s something you should do.”
The Morrison’s pitch to prospective donors is the expansive breadth of services United Way provides in Central Alabama. “You have a child that can’t eat and that same child may not have daycare and that same child may have other needs,” Kelly said. “If that child doesn’t have all of their needs handled, then solving just one piece of that puzzle doesn’t really matter. United Way fulfills the whole picture.”
Ron said that United Way is a means through which individuals can help close some of the gaps in services that our governmental systems don’t address. “We’re lucky to live in a country that’s got the ability to help people,” Ron said. “And a lot of times, United Way picks up where others leave off.”
“For those of us that have been lucky enough to do well,” Ron said, “we need to help.”
In addition to chairing UWCA’s Tocqueville Society, Ron and Kelly also serve on the Advisory Council and Board of Directors of Magic Moments, respectively.
For more information about UWCA’s Tocqueville Society, visit https://www.uwca.org/leadership-giving-societies/tocqueville-society.