News

United Way celebrates 2013 campaign

United Way of Henderson County (UWHC) celebrated the 2013 Campaign at its LIVE UNITED Celebration and Annual Meeting todayat Lake Pointe Landing.

By , Published: February 28, 2014

United Way of Henderson County (UWHC) celebrated the 2013 Campaign at its LIVE UNITED Celebration and Annual Meeting today. The event, held at and sponsored by Lake Pointe Landing, was attended by 120 volunteers, business representatives and community members.

Greg Burnette, 2013 Campaign Chair and Area Executive for First Citizens Bank & Trust, thanked individuals and organizations for their strong support of this year's campaign. Burnette announced that with pledges to date, along with projected donations, the 2013 Campaign should conclude with a total of $1,865,400.00.

Burnette commented, "Serving as Campaign Chair the past two years has allowed me to get to know so many wonderful people within our community and witness them investing countless hours to make Henderson County better tomorrow than it is today. By coming together and living united, our future is bright."

Ruth Birge, Executive Director of United Way of Henderson County, noted that the 2013 Campaign does not officially close until March 31. "We are proud to celebrate our accomplishments today," said Birge, "And we will continue to reach out to this community to help us grow the campaign even more. More dollars in the campaign equal more resources to help more people in Henderson County and advance our work in the areas of Education, Income and Health."

United Way's Director of Resource Development, Laresa Griffin, gave credit to United Way's volunteers for the impressive accomplishments of the 2013 Campaign. "We are fortunate to have a diverse, motivated and dedicated team of volunteers who devote many hours of their time to United Way as Campaign Cabinet and committee members, Loaned Executives, and Employee Campaign Coordinators. We are so grateful for their commitment; without their dedication we would not see this level of success in our fundraising efforts."

To recognize the tremendous contributions of time, dollars, and volunteerism, United Way presented campaign achievement awards at today's event. This year's winners include:

• Overall Campaign Award: Meritor, Inc.
• Employee Giving: Wilsonart, Int'l.
• Corporate Giving Award: Meritor, Inc.
• Model Campaign Award: Belk, First Citizens Bank & Trust, Henderson County Public Schools
• Advancing the Common Good Award: Morris Broadband, WTZQ 1600 AM
• LIVE UNITED Award: Kimberly-Clark
• Superhero for United Way Award: Phil Gillespie, Kimberly-Clark
• Outstanding Employee Campaign Coordinator: Brenda Williams, Henderson County Public Schools
• Campaign Speaker Award: Kristen Martin, Thrive
• Double Digit Awards: Bank of North Carolina, Belk, Blue Ridge Community College, Blue Ridge Literacy Council, Blue Ridge Metals, Borg-Warner Thermal Systems, Foxworth Advisors, Girl Scouts Peaks to Piedmont, Hendersonville Lightning, Housing Assistance Corporation, IMOCO, Inc., Interfaith Assistance Ministries, Meritor, Inc., Morris Broadband, Nationwide Insurance, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, Pinnacle, Pisgah Legal Services, Thrive, Todd A. Webb, CPA, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Vulcan Materials Company, Wal-Mart

The Ed Brisley, Jr. Award was presented by UWHC Staff to Sharon Tirrell. This award recognizes a member of the community for outstanding volunteer service to United Way and celebrates the uncommon way they care about our community.

The Rob and Ginger Cranford Community Service Award for 2013 was presented to Melanie Matteson of Kimberly-Clark by Charlie Cranford of Henderson County Public Schools. This award recognizes a Henderson County resident who supports United Way of Henderson County, works with other local not-profit organizations, and who best exemplifies the community leadership and generous spirit demonstrated by Rob and Ginger Cranford. Matteson volunteers with many organizations in the community, holds multiple volunteer roles with United Way, and was also welcomed today as the 2014 Campaign Chair for UWHC.

United Way is advancing the common good by creating opportunities for a better life in Henderson County. If you would like more information or have questions or comments about United Way, or would like to make a donation, contact the United Way of Henderson County at PO Box 487, Hendersonville, NC 28793, call 692-1636, visit on the Web at liveunitedhc.org, or become a fan of UWHC on Facebook.