Board Chair's Report, September: Janet Wear-Enloe

A Season of Hope with United Way of Central Missouri

What do pumpkin spice lattes, football and the start of school have in common with the United Way of Central Missouri Community Campaign? They signal the beginning of fall!

Each autumn the United Way of Central Missouri selects a fun theme with a serious  message to provide a focus for the annual community campaign. This year as the leaves change color, our community will  be Rockin’ the ‘80s. When I think of the 1980s, I remember college days, fun shows like Cheers, and lots of great music. The popular song by Journey, “Don’t Stop Believing,” is the campaign slogan that helps us not only rock to the ‘80s, but also reminds us that some of our neighbors have stopped believing, have lost hope and given up. As United Way volunteers and campaign contributors, together, we provide hope for a better tomorrow.

The 28 United Way partner agencies served over 88,000 people in 2015. That is a lot of encouragement for our neighbors. The 2016 co-chairs, Matt Tollerton and Jayne Dunkmann, our Agency Speakers’ Bureau, and United Way staff have been extremely busy assisting the 30 Pacesetter Companies as they developed and executed energetic, funfilled campaigns.

The Pacesetter’s results were announced at the Campaign Kick-Off celebration on September 1, and they officially launched and set the bar for the 2016 United Way Community Campaign. Pacesetters hosted workplace campaigns during the summer to set the bar for the Community Campaign, which continues through October 31.

A sincere thanks to our marketing team and our media partners for their excellent job spreading the word about the campaign. A special thank you to the News Tribune for consistent coverage of campaign activities and agency spotlights; KOMU for producing the campaign video; and Jay Pelzer for creating a touching video that illustrates how our community unites to take care of one another. (To view either video log onto: www.unitedwaycemo.org).

There are numerous fun activities planned over the next six weeks to make it easy to support the United Way. Make sure to participate in Dine United, Shop United, and a new event called Glam United. Whether you like to eat out, buy new things, or get together with friends for a girls afternoon of pampering; there are a variety of ways to spend a few dollars to support our community.

In this season of hope, the United Way campaign is an opportunity for individuals like you and me to help someone we may never meet. We get to lend a hand for a child who needs a permanent family, feed an older adult who appreciates a home-delivered meal, or provide a job for a person with a disability. The United Way Community Campaign is a grass roots effort that provides every community member the opportunity to give back to help our neighbors in need. Thank you in advance for helping us reach our $1.825 million dollar goal. Please mark your calendar to attend the Victory Celebration on November 3 at the Missouri Farm Bureau. I hope to see you there!

Article by Janet Wear-Enloe, SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital, 2016 United Way of Central Missouri Board Chair