fbpx

United Way Spirit of NC Awards

United Way of North Carolina’s annual Spirit of North Carolina Award celebrates organizations for their exemplary partnership demonstrated through fundraising and volunteer efforts, outstanding leadership, and creative team building. Additionally, organizations focusing on DEI values and individuals who are champions of United Way are also celebrated. March 1-3, United Way of North Carolina recognized 74 winners representing 17 local United Ways at three regional events, with the Central NC United Way agencies gathering in Chatham at the Agricultural Center Thursday, March 2. 

Kirk Bradley, Chairman, President and CEO of Lee-Moore Capital, and Karen Howard, Chair of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, presented the awards. 

 Triangle Community Foundation – Investment in Long-Term Sustainable Impact

Triangle Community Foundation’s (TCF) ongoing support continues to allow United Way of Chatham County to make progress toward bold goals in the community. TCF is a major philanthropic leader in the Triangle region, providing training, grant funding and support to a wide range of non-profits. In the past year TCF strategically invested in United Way of Chatham County for a capacity building grant, allowing for strategic and full funding-model transition planning. Both activities will allow United Way of Chatham County to continue leading and convening the Chatham community in the most impactful ways. The strategic planning support has allowed United Way of Chatham to focus on Board recruitment, diversity, and development strategies.

TCF is not only a direct financial supporter of United Way’s long-term impact in Chatham County, but also an advocate for the organization’s work in the community. By including United Way in events and community conversations, they assist in connecting Chatham’s greatest needs to important networks and resources to spotlight the opportunity to volunteer, invest and work together for sustainable change.  

TCF showcases that by supporting United Way, so too is the Chatham Community at large. The Foundation has sponsored and participated in every Day of Service hosted by United Way of Chatham County. Their participation in this annual event allows their employees to connect with Chatham nonprofits, other volunteers and organizations, proving again their investment and commitment to understanding and addressing critical needs in Chatham County.

TCF is a strong, valued partner, leveraging their networks and resources so that together we can achieve more in our community.

 George Evans – United Way Community Ambassador

George Evans is a longtime supporter of United Way of Chatham County, serving as Board Member, Secretary/Treasurer, and leading the residential campaign at Carolina Meadows, which is successful year after year. In fact, George has supported the campaign in such a meaningful way that it has sustained contributions more than $100,000 for two consecutive years.

George advocates for United Way and promotes the impact the organization has in the community within Carolina Meadows, and its more than 500 residents. In 2022 he led two volunteer projects coordinated by United Way. He led a project filling more than 60 backpacks with school supplies for Chatham County School children, and a Day of Service project helping prepare more than 1,000 United Way campaign mailings. George is not only one of United Way of Chatham County’s most active volunteers, he has been generous with his time, talent and treasure for more than 10 years. It is with great gratitude United Way recognizes George Evans and his contributions to United Way and Chatham County at large.

Governors Club – United Way Community Ambassador

The Governors Club neighborhood holds the record for raising the most money in any residential community across the state. This year their exceptional campaign performance continued, which is only made possible by the extreme support provided by residents of the community leading the charge.

Governors Club utilizes a network of area captains to champion the effort within their own streets/areas. Twenty-eight Governors Club area captains led the fall campaign, updating campaign fundraising signs around the neighborhood, writing personalized messages to neighbors in each area, making telephone calls to their neighbors and ensuring United Way received publicity in the neighborhood digital and print newsletters and magazines. Over 900 homes make up the Governors Club neighborhood, and the United Way campaign would be impossible without the extraordinary leadership provided by Governors Club’s area captains, and the annual support from the homeowner’s association. The Governors Club community exemplifies what it means to be ambassadors for good and true change agents in Chatham County.

Chatham Hospital – Building Momentum and Sustainability Through Engaged Leadership or Employees

Chatham Hospital had a record-breaking campaign in 2022/2023. The hospital campaign saw the most donors in the hospital’s campaign history and more than doubled their number of donors over the year prior. In the midst of economic uncertainty and continued impacts of the pandemic on hospital employees, Chatham Hospital leadership is to thank for their success.

Allison Bolin, Director of Clinical Business Operations, and Kathy Brown, Human Resources Coordinator, championed the hospital campaign, providing strong leadership through weekly planning calls, events and general communication with C-suite leadership. Each hospital department had its own campaign champion, attending a virtual training, and utilizing a peer-to-peer fundraising platform via Qgiv so that they could individually fundraise with their teams. Weekly emails to their teams encouraged participation, and included United Way FAQs, program highlights and success stories.

Events coordinated by the hospital that helped create a buzz around the campaign included the presence of an ice cream truck at the hospital’s campaign kickoff. A pizza party was also given following the campaign to celebrate their success.

By placing the power of campaign success in the champion’s hands, we saw an increase in campaign ownership by each department champion, and a stronger drive from employees to compete in peer-to-peer fundraising leading to a record-breaking campaign. Health care professionals are not strangers to supporting their communities, however the 2022 United Way Campaign at Chatham Hospital went above and beyond the call of their duty.

Daniela Ceron, TCF Capacity Building, UWCC Executive Director Katie Childs, and Carla Abramczyk, TCF Senior Development Officer

Karen Monaco, George Evans and Katie Childs

Jeff Strickler, CEO Chatham Hospital, Katie Childs and Allison Bolin, Director of Clinical Business Operations for Chatham Hospital

Jim Butler, Janie Butler, and Stan Campbell – area captains for Governors Club – and Katie Childs

Katie Childs, Karen Howard, and Kirk Bradley

NC Governor’s Volunteer Awards

Do you know an exceptional individual whose volunteer contributions deserve recognition?  Consider honoring their work by nominating them for the Chatham County Outstanding Volunteer Award.  The United Way of Chatham County coordinates the nomination and award process to recognize those individuals who selflessly give their time, talent and expertise to benefit the residents of Chatham County. 

Chatham County nominees will also be considered for recognition on the state level.  The United Way of Chatham County Volunteer Center coordinates this effort with the NC Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. Those selected will receive recognition from the Governor, in addition to being considered for the Governor’s Medallion Award.  The Governor’s Office honors only twenty volunteers with the Medallion Award statewide and selects from nominees submitted by 100 counties.  A minimum of one year of volunteer service is required to be eligible to receive the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.

Click the link below to review eligibility criteria and to complete the fillable PDF nomination form. All completed forms should be emailed to Shelley Smith at Shelley@UnitedWayofChathamCounty.org no later than Tuesday, December 31.

2022 Day of Service

2022 Day of Service a Huge Success

The United Way of Chatham County (UWCC) hosted its third-annual Day of Service Tuesday, September 13. The event officially kicked off the annual fall fundraising season and connected 80 volunteers to community service opportunities in Chatham County. The Day of Service supported 9 in-person volunteer opportunities.

Community service projects for the day included: Boys & Girls Club Wren Family Center –facility beautification, computer installation, cleaning and organizing equipment and supply closets; Chatham Education Foundation – book sort and distribution; Chatham Habitat for Humanity – community build; Love Chatham – landscaping around the building; Carolina Meadows and United Way – fall campaign mailing preparation; North Chatham Elementary School PTA – school and community garden maintenance; and a dodgeball game at the Pittsboro Boys & Girls Club and Wren Family Center hosted at Horton Middle School.

Two projects are scheduled for a future date: door installation at Second Bloom to better serve clients, and the staining of a community garden fence at Chatham Trades. Carolina Meadows also hosted a pre-Day of Service project in August, packing bookbags for the Salvation Army’s school supply distribution event.
deneme bonusu veren siteler
United Way also held an online fundraiser during the Day of Service, encouraging those unable to volunteer to make a donation with a goal of $1,500. If you’d like to help United Way reach its Day of Service goal, make a donation at www.UnitedWayOfChathamCounty.org/DayOfService.

“Thank you to everyone who made the Day of Service a success this year!” said Katie Childs, UWCC Executive Director. “The Day of Service allows for teamwork amongst colleagues and clubs, networking with strangers, and learning about the unique and vital nonprofits that support the residents of Chatham.”

United Way of Chatham County thanks its 2022 Day of Service sponsors – without their support this event would not have been possible: Carolina Civilworks, Inc, WellCare, Triangle Community Foundation, and Realty World Carolina Properties – Eric Andrews. The Day of Service media sponsor was Chatham News + Record. A special thank you to North Carolina Ice Cream Catering – Ben & Jerry’s for providing the students of the Pittsboro Boys & Girls Club and Wren Family Center a sweet treat to enjoy during the dodgeball games.

United Way sends many thanks to the following volunteer teams: Triangle Community Foundation; Duke Energy; Rotary Club of Pittsboro; Briar Chapel Jewish Community Book Club; NC DPS; Chatham Council on Aging; Cackalacky; Chatham County Sheriff’s Office; Fearrington Village Garden Club; UWCC Board of Directors; and Carolina Meadows.

To view photos from the Day of Service, follow United Way of Chatham County on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedWayofChatham. You can also subscribe to the monthly newsletter to keep up with what United Way is doing in the community: www.UnitedWayOfChathamCounty.org/newsletter.
bonus veren siteler
The United Way of Chatham County is the largest human services funder in Chatham County. UWCC funds 22 programs managed by its 15 nonprofit agencies that specialize in the education, financial stability and health of Chatham County residents. For more information on the agencies and programs funded by United Way, volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation, visit www.UnitedWayOfChathamCounty.org.

To view our Day of Service photo album on Facebook, CLICK HERE!

Save the Date!

Help kick off the 2022 UWCC Campaign at the Day of Service

Save the date for the largest community service event and volunteer day in Chatham County! The 2022 United Way Day of Service will once again kick off UWCC’s annual campaign, and will be held Tuesday, September 13. Join us and help celebrate our incredible Chatham community!

Last year’s Day of Service hosted 165 volunteers completing community service projects at 11 locations across Chatham County, and because of our sponsors and volunteer support, it was our best year, yet. We expect this year’s Day of Service to be even better.

If you are a nonprofit or organization wishing to submit a Day of Service project proposal, please click here for the online form.

If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact Shelley Smith at shelley@UnitedWayOfChathamCounty.org. Click here to view sponsorship benefits.

Volunteer information and sign ups will be open to the public by early August.

To view photos from the 2021 Day of Service, click here

Three Chatham Residential Campaigns Win State-Wide United Way Awards

United Way of Chatham County’s (UWCC) 2021/2022 campaign generated the most dollars and donors in its 36-year history in Chatham County, with 84% of donations coming from residential campaigns. Three of UWCC’s residential campaigns – Governors Club, Carolina Meadows and Encore at Briar Chapel – proved to be exceptional and record-breaking, each earning the Spirit of North Carolina Award from the United Way of North Carolina.

The Spirit of North Carolina Award is a state-wide award and recognizes campaign excellence, honoring groups and organizations whose United Way campaigns exemplify the “spirit” of their community. The three UWCC campaigns were awarded in the “Campaign/Engagement Success” award category, which celebrates a campaign’s growth in participation or dollars raised to build stronger loyalty to meeting the community need.

Spirit of North Carolina Award recipients meet specific standards of achievement and are selected by a team of United Way leaders from across the state. United Way of North Carolina leads the award nomination and judging process and presents the awards annually.

“The Governors Club, Carolina Meadows and Encore at Briar Chapel campaigns not only demonstrate excellence in their United Way campaigns, but are building a philanthropic culture community-wide,” said Katie Childs, UWCC Executive Director. “The ongoing and increasing support from all neighborhoods, donors and community partners in Chatham is outstanding.”

Because of the 2021/2022 UWCC residential campaign success, Childs was invited to co-facilitate a workshop at the United Way Southeast Regional Conference, which will host 50 United Way representatives from an 11-state radius late April. The workshop will highlight best-in-class practices that UWCC has learned from its community campaigns. In all, the conference will host more than 300 United Way representatives from the southeast region.

“I’m honored to represent Chatham County at the conference, sharing what makes our United Way campaign so unique and successful,” said Childs. “Each year United Way board and staff lay the campaign’s foundation. But the leadership, drive and passion from our neighborhood captains, support from community management, and buy-in from individuals and families, is what enables United Way to increase its impact on poverty year after year.”

 

Governors Club

UWCC’s 2021 Governors Club residential campaign made United Way history in North Carolina: the neighborhood raised $273,000 – the largest amount ever raised by a residential campaign in North Carolina. It was also the largest amount raised in Governors Club’s 20+ year history with UWCC. Governors Club utilizes a network of 27 area captains to champion the effort within their own streets/areas.

 

Carolina Meadows

UWCC’s 2021 Carolina Meadows residential campaign raised the most in its 20+ year history with United Way: the campaign brought in $101,269, exceeding its campaign goal by 19%, and raising $15,000 more in 2021 over 2020.

The Carolina Meadows residential campaign is led by United Way of Chatham County Board Treasurer George Evans, who is also an active and well-connected resident of Carolina Meadows.

Due to COVID-19, Carolina Meadows imposed visitor restrictions to ensure the safety of its residents. Evans saw this as an opportunity to remind residents of the importance of the United Way mission and organized a volunteer opportunity that could be completed without residents leaving the premises, and was part of UWCC’s 2021 Day of Service.

 

Encore at Briar Chapel

UWCC’s residential campaign reached a new neighborhood in 2021 – Encore at Briar Chapel – a new community for those aged 55 and above within the largest residential neighborhood in Chatham. One loyal United Way supporter and a new resident to Encore – John Hughes – helped coordinate a group of 16 neighborhood captains to spread the mission and impact United Way has in Chatham County. Encore captains also held socially distanced cookie exchanges, cocktail parties and door-to-door introductions to not only get to know their new neighbors, but to share the importance of supporting UWCC.

Because of the dedication of the Encore neighborhood captains, 66% of the Encore neighborhood donated to the campaign, with United Way gaining more than 100 new donors.

Each fall, UWCC kicks-off its annual campaign, which includes more than 15 residential campaigns and countless volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering in your neighborhood, please contact Katie Childs at 919-542-1110 or katie@UnitedWayOfChathamCounty.org. Visit www.UnitedWayOfChathamCounty.org to learn more about our impact.

 

Additional Photos from Encore at Briar Chapel’s award presentation reception.

More Than Ever Before: United Way of Chatham County Surpasses 2021/2022 Campaign Fundraising Goal

The United Way of Chatham County’s (UWCC) 2021/2022 annual campaign generated $704,000 – the most in its 36-year history, surpassing its goal of $645,000. Eighty-four percent of the campaign support came from Chatham residential areas, which is unique to United Ways across the state. In fact, the 2021 neighborhood campaigns are among the highest grossing residential campaigns of all time in North Carolina. Chatham businesses also showed their support, sponsoring the Day of Service, becoming United Way Corporate Donors, and by joining the $100 by 100 campaign challenge. UWCC also welcomed more individual donors, and more volunteers than ever before.

 

“I am so proud of our community and its commitment to improving the lives for all in Chatham,” said Katie Childs, United Way of Chatham County Executive Director. “Residents of all ages and stages of life see the United Way’s impact, and throughout the pandemic the support has been unwavering.”

Although the campaign has ended, UWCC is still hard at work. More than 50 volunteers are currently reviewing funding requests and meeting with agencies through the annual allocations process. UWCC staff and board are also in the midst of strategic planning, which will become a three-year roadmap to help navigate the ever-changing needs of Chatham County.

For more information about UWCC, or to get involved, please visit www.UnitedWayOfChathamCounty.org or call 919-542-1110. For community resources or assistance, please dial 2-1-1.

Carolina Meadows Residential Campaign Wins State-Wide United Way Award

If you live or work at Carolina Meadows, you probably know George Evans – he may have even given you your first tour of the campus. George is also the Treasurer for United Way of Chatham County, and runs the United Way residential campaign at Carolina Meadows. And the 2021 Carolina Meadows campaign was record-breaking. Carolina Meadows raised the most in its 20-year history with United Way of Chatham County – $103,821 – exceeding its goal by 20%, and raising $17,000 more in 2021 over 2020.

Due to COVID-19, Carolina Meadows imposed visitor restrictions to ensure the safety of its residents. Evans saw this as an opportunity to remind residents of the importance of the United Way mission and organized a volunteer opportunity for the 2021 Day of Service that could be completed without residents even leaving the premises.

The campaign achievement and community engagement were recognized by the United Way of North Carolina, and Carolina Meadows received the Spirit of North Carolina Award for its exceptional campaign and commitment to United Way of Chatham County.

The Carolina Meadows community continues to support the mission and understand the impact their donations are making in the Chatham community. Thank you, George, and thank you to everyone at Carolina Meadows!

 

 

211

211 Continues to be Essential Service for Chatham Residents

Day and night, the team at NC 211 talks to people who are experiencing hardship, feeling concerned about a family member, or simply need more information about resources in their area. As North Carolinians continue to feel the impacts of the pandemic, NC 211 serves as a consistent resource offering hope, comfort, and guidance. On February 11, United Way of Chatham County joined NC 211 in celebrating National 211 Day.

In 2021, NC 211 answered more than 160,000 calls, offering information about housing, utility assistance, healthcare, and more. These calls were answered by real people who are trained to identify and address root causes of a client’s problem. In Chatham, 53% of calls were for housing and shelter assistance, 20% were for utility assistance, and the remaining 27% of calls were related to COVID-19, employment or income assistance.  

NC 211 is funded locally through a partnership with United Way of Chatham County and the Chatham County Health Department. Chatham County Public Health Director, Mike Zelek, said he’s proud to partner with UWCC and co-sponsor this service for Chatham County residents.

“NC 211 is a valuable resource to our community, and to our public and nonprofit agencies that serve Chatham County,” said Zelek. “Providing information about health care resources, and services that address social determinants of health, helps us ensure better outcomes for those living in Chatham.”

With COVID-19 still circulating around the globe, NC 211 continues to be an increasing necessity as providers shift service hours and availability, with some adjusting hours or closing indefinitely.

“NC 211 has helped the community remain connected,” said Katie Childs, Executive Director of the United Way of Chatham County. “And now as we think about navigating life post-pandemic, we hope more individuals continue to use the tool as a direct connection to the services they need, and providers use it as a means to communicate program logistics and availability to clients.

“We are grateful for donors and corporate partners like Chatham County who help sustain NC 211 service in our community.”

NC 211 is also available online – visit nc211.org to search NC 211’s database of nearly 13,000 verified resources. After entering a search term and location, the website will display information about local programs and services. 

######

NC 211 is an information and referral service provided by United Way of North Carolina and supported by local United Ways across the state. Accessible via an easy-to-remember, three-digit number, families and individuals can call to obtain free and confidential information on health and human services within their community.

Scroll to top