Representatives from more than 60 companies and community organizations helped kick off United Way of Central Alabama’s 2017 Pacesetter Campaign where Pacesetter chair, Scott McGlaun, Chief Information Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama announced a goal of $12.8 million for the summer fundraising campaign. This campaign will run through June and July and precedes the larger fundraising campaign happening in the fall.
The event featured guest speaker Lurenda Avery, a former client of the Amelia Center, a United Way partner agency that provides comprehensive grief counseling. Avery spoke about the loss of her first child, who was born prematurely. The Amelia Center provided counseling for Lurenda and her husband after the death of her daughter and helped her deal with the anxieties of having another child.
“When I look at the need of the community, the needs are greater than ever,” said John Owen, Senior Executive Vice President, Regions Financial Corporation and the 2017 General Campaign Chairman. “One statistic that really sticks in my mind is that today, in this country, we have 47 percent of Americans who can’t handle a $400 emergency. The difference between them being okay and not okay is only $400. That’s how important having a safety net like United Way is to our community.”
Also introduced were the three loaned executives for the summer campaign, Bakari Miller from Regions Bank, Robin Nelson from Alabama Power Company and Melissa Osborne from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. Loaned Executives play a crucial role in developing and implementing fundraising initiatives through workplace campaigns. Their participation helps keep fundraising costs low, leading to increased investments in the lives of people who need services.
“Being a Loaned Executive is] an amazing opportunity to volunteer and help raise funds for all the community services that are supported by United Way and make an impact and be the boots on the ground for such a worthy cause,” Osborne said.
The 2017 Pacesetter companies are:
Altec Inc American Red Cross – Mid Alabama Region America’s First Federal Credit Union Arc of Walker County Arlington Properties Inc.
Avadian Credit Union Balch & Bingham LLP Bayer Properties LLC BioHorizons Inc. Birmingham Business Alliance Blount County Children’s Center Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama Buffalo Rock Company Building Specialties Company Inc.
Burr & Forman LLP Cadence Bank Children’s of Alabama Cobbs Allen Coca-Cola Bottling Company United Inc. Downs and Company Dunn Investment Company
EGS Commercial Real Estate Ernst & Young LLP
First Bank of Jasper Goodwyn Mills & Cawood Gorbel Inc. Graham & Company LLC Grandview Medical Center Harbert Management Corporation Hoar Construction LLC Infinity Insurance ITAC Solutions Jemison Metals
Legacy YMCA Mayer Electric Supply Company
Maynard Cooper & Gale PC
McGriff Seibels & Williams Inc. McWane Inc.
Medical Properties Trust Inc. MotionMobs
National Bank of Commerce
Navigate Affordable Housing Partners O’Neal Industries
Pipehorn Utility Tool Company Portfolio Recovery Associates Robins & Morton
ServisFirst Bank Shipt
Sirote & Permutt PC SouthPoint Bank Sterilite of Alabama Target Stores Timberline Management
Turner Batson United Ability United Way of Central Alabama Inc. University of Alabama at Birmingham USAmeribank Vulcan Materials
Warren Averett LLC WBRC Television Fox 6 White Plume Technologies YMCA of Greater Birmingham
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Through our partner agencies and community initiatives, we improve lives and community conditions by building and mobilizing resources. To learn more about United Way’s impact in our community visit www.uwca.org.