Women United hosted the first of a series of “lunch and learn” events called Women United Wednesdays, which focus on challenges faced in the community and what United Way of Central Alabama and its community partners are doing to solve them.
The first lunch and learn focused on the Bold Goals Coalition, a community-based initiative designed to align resources, efforts and best practices to address disparities in education, health and financial stability.
Women United is a United Way of Central Alabama affinity group, representing donors and volunteers who give at a leadership level of $1,000 or more. Its mission is for women to lead the charge and inspire change within the community through philanthropy, leadership and volunteerism. It provides members the chance to get more involved in their community while working to solve unmet needs through volunteer opportunities at community organizations, such as the group’s signature project known as Project Welcome Home. It also provides opportunities to network and collaborate with top business and community leaders at events hosted throughout the year.
One Women United member who attended the event was Allison Westlake, who works in public relations at Alabama Power. She became involved with United Way during the 2016 annual fundraising campaign when she represented Alabama Power as a Loaned Executive for the campaign.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to have women from all different sectors of our community, all different industries, ages and levels of experience coming together to really talk about those issues that are important to our community and see where we can all jump in and collaborate to serve those needs and support United Way,” said Westlake.
The next Women United Wednesday will be on July 12 at 11:30 a.m., focusing on the subject of education. The third lunch will take place on Oct. 11, focusing on the topic of financial stability.
United Way of Central Alabama serves Jefferson, Shelby, Walker, Blount and St. Clair counties by providing solutions for the most urgent needs in the community. Through our partner agencies and community initiatives, we improve lives and community conditions by building and mobilizing resources.
To learn more about Women United and other United Way leadership giving groups such as the Young Philanthropists Society and the Tocqueville Society, visit www.uwca.org/campaign-center/leadership-giving-societies/