News & Events
United Way Celebrates 85th Anniversary and Kicks Off 2009 Community Campaign
On September 10, United Way of Northeast Florida kicked off its 2009 Community Campaign at Hemming Plaza in downtown Jacksonville. With nearly 400 guests in attendance, United Way’s 2009 Campaign Cabinet, comprised of past and future campaign leadership as well as key community volunteers, rallied the audience and paid tribute to the organization’s 85-year heritage at the site of its founding in 1924.Unlike traditional sit-down luncheons or evening receptions, the down-home flapjack breakfast hearkened back to simpler times, drawing community citizens as well as employee campaign volunteers and donors.
As a group of Campaign Cabinet volunteers unveiled signs revealing “Every Gift Counts,” the crowd rallied and cheered, shouting the message together.
While the event officially kicked off United Way’s annual giving campaign, many businesses and organizations held workplace campaigns early to jumpstart the Community Campaign. The dollars raised from participating Pacesetter organizations and other early gifts totaled $7,030,441. The results of the Pacesetter campaigns were announced during the kickoff (See listing below).
In recognition of United Way’s 85th Anniversary, a tribute flame was lit by a senior, a youth mentor and preschooler, representing United Way’s three areas of focus: early childhood success, helping students achieve, and senior engagement and independence. This special ceremony recognized United Way’s legacy and renewed commitment to improving lives on the First Coast.
While not revealing a specific goal this year, United Way’s leadership is striving to reach the dollars that were raised in 2008 and add to those in order to achieve more funding for such needs as: 74 more youth receiving one-one-one mentoring; 244 more families being helped to avoid foreclosure, 416 more caregivers receiving parenting workshops; and 4,180 more balanced meals for seniors with greater giving United Way can address today's needs while staying the course for long-term solutions.
United Way Board of Trustees Chair Mike Cascone said, “This year, now more than ever, we need our entire community to step forward to support our children, youth, seniors and families who are counting on us.”
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