United Way of Martin County

United Way of Martin County held its annual Champions of the Community event on March 22, 2007, spotlighting the volunteers, donors, companies and agencies that have made an impact on improving lives in Martin County.

One of the key moments of the event always is the announcement of whether United Way has attained its fund-raising goal for the year. Campaign chairman Richard Levine, the vice president and general manager at Macy’s, announced that United Way of Martin County was closing in on this year’s goal of $2.2 million.

“But, as you know, I’ve always thought we could do even more,” Mr. Levine said. “The reason to press forward is that our true goals are measured in other ways. Our priorities are to reduce youth substance abuse, expand services to a growing elderly population, increase access to health care for the uninsured, and provide stability for people in crisis. These pressing concerns are what each of us have an eye on when making donations, volunteering, or contributing our talents or goods.”

During the event at the Hutchinson Island Marriott, two groups of dynamic young people from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Martin County pumped up the audience with singing and dancing: The Klub Klowns from Indiantown and the Extreme Dancers from Port Salerno.

From there, Mr. Levine and master of ceremonies Bryan Garner, Treasure Coast Bureau Chief for WPTV-Channel 5, took over – presenting awards to organizations and individuals who have worked so hard during the course of the year to support United Way and the community.

This year, Publix totaled $280,919 in giving from the employees and the corporation. The efforts of Mark Waldbauer, the new manager at Publix store #639 on Hutchinson Island, were spotlighted. His store had a 127% increase in giving over last year, earning recognition as the best campaign in the region and district.

This year, Loblolly raised $151,099 for United Way of Martin County. The community had the highest per capita giving of all communities -- $690 per household – and 50% of its residents participated. Loblolly also embraces United Way through its projects, notably holding a cereal drive every year for the White Doves Holiday Project, stocking families’ grocery bags with thousands of dollars worth of food.

Massey-Yardley donated a 2007 Dodge Caliber to offer as the sweepstakes prize in the United Way Step-Up Challenge. The challenge encouraged people to increase their giving by a buck a week ($52 a year) in order to enter the sweepstakes for a car.

The Step-Up Challenge quadrupled Massey-Yardley’s investment, raising $70,000 new dollars and encouraging hundreds of new donors to give.

COMMUNICATIONS CHAMPION:
Greg Sowell, for producing -- as a volunteer project -- a video for United Way of Martin County that shows “what matters.”

AGENCY SPIRIT AWARD:
Caring Children/Clothing Children
This prestigious award is given each year to the agency that has demonstrated great support for United Way. Led by volunteers, The 4-Cs Club identified a key community need and addressed it. The agency continues to grow, with active volunteer support and new programs addressing literacy and young people’s success.

RESOURCE INVESTMENT CHAMPION: Taunya Bryant
Taunya Bryant is a long-time advocate for Martin County residents through her involvement with United Way, Habitat for Humanity and St. Michael’s. Taunya is the chairwoman of the Resource Investment Committee. That’s the committee that oversees the tough task of deciding how to distribute the funds from the United Way campaign.

CHARACTER COUNTS! honored two outstanding business partners whose ethical business practices, loyal support, and active participation in CHARACTER COUNTS! are helping to build a strong ethical foundation in our youth and community.

SUCCESS BY 6 CHAMPION FOR CHILDREN:
Debbie Crowder
Each year, United Way’s early childhood initiative, Success By 6, selects a Champion for Children – a person in the community who demonstrates a passion for children's issues and has been involved with the goals of Success By 6. Debbie Crowder has devoted her entire professional career to the education of young children. And most recently, she has been a guiding light in the direction of the Success By 6 initiative, especially through the development of the Literacy Network.

George Phillips holds a major role in one of our signature projects -- as warehouse manager for the White Doves Holiday Project. George puts in about 400 volunteer hours over November and December and into January. He is responsible for preparing the White Doves warehouse for distribution days, organizing deliveries, taking in donations, handling phone calls and instructing dozens of volunteers on a daily basis.

Marie DuBois has been instrumental in launching and leading Martin Volunteers’ ambassador program, which was designed to generate an influx of new volunteers and energize relations with dozens of agencies. Marie’s efforts exemplify the goal of the organization -- to be the expert on volunteering in Martin County and the one source for people to learn about volunteer opportunities.

Bob and Carol Weissman received the 2006 Tocqueville Award from Denny Hudson. left, and Alexis de Tocqueville (aka John Slivon).

This prestigious award is the highest honor a local United Way can bestow, and it is presented to an individual or couple who have provided outstanding volunteer service and philanthropy to the community. Carol and Bob Weissman are longtime members of the Tocqueville Society (which includes donors of $10,000 or more annually).

Through the years, the Weissmans have made significant gifts to a variety of organizations, including the United Way Foundations of Martin and St. Lucie counties, the Florida Oceanographic Society and the Martin Memorial Hospital Foundation. The Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center in Stuart has been named in their honor.

This award is given annually to honor extraordinary efforts in support of United Way -- not necessarily just in relation to the campaign, but including work with our programs, initiatives and agency partners. As one of the largest employers in the area, FPL is a good neighbor. Employees and the company contribute thousands of dollars each year to local charitable organizations through their participation in United Way campaigns on the Treasure Coast. This year, FPL’s contribution to United Way of Martin County totaled $250,833.

EVENT SPONSORS

United Way of Martin County would like to thank its sponsors for supporting the event.

Here are links to highlights from the Champions of the Community event from last year: