United Way of Midland County kicked off the 2023 Campaign on Monday, September 11 with a goal of bringing the community together to raise $4.7 million. They are excited to announce pledges totaling $1,252,630 representing 27% of the overall goal.
“After our first official week, I am humbled by the way our community is showing support for United Way, our partners and each other,” shared Dr. Lydia Watson, 2023 Campaign Chair. “It’s my goal to help educate and inspire people to join in – whether that’s through participating in the campaign, lending their time as a volunteer or advocating for change.”
After a successful pacesetter start, Dow employees kicked off their campaign this week with an inspiring launch. They have already reached 70% of their employee goal with 31% participation and continue to show steady progress.
Dow campaign ambassadors are going above and beyond with fun ways for employees to participate, including special events like Coffee & Conversation with Travelin’ Toms coffee truck, United at the Rooftop mixology event and their annual United Way auction!
Workgroups across Dow are hosting United Way presentations and Impact Bus Tours to inspire and educate their teams. At a recent team luncheon, Dow employees raised money to choose which team member would get a pie in the face. Another Dow team is hosting a raffle with a variety of fun themed baskets like pumpkin spice, movie night, outdoor and game night.
Fisher Contracting, a strong United Way supporter, completed their campaign earlier this year, raising over $60,000 to support our neighbors. Many other companies will be kicking off in the coming days and weeks, but others have already joined in.
Corteva hosted their ambassador training in early September preparing and inspiring their team for an impactful campaign season. They kicked off their campaign this week and have already reached 50% of their employee goal. Their team is finding fun ways to stay engaged throughout their campaign including a variety of gift basket raffles, a United Way swag drive, Travelin’ Toms coffee truck events, along with a generous corporate match to help their employees make a bigger impact.
“The engagement from local corporations, businesses and community members has been inspiring to witness,” shared Katie Bell Pearce, Corporate Relationship Manager at United Way of Midland County. “We’ve had the opportunity to speak at team meetings, kick-offs and special events and have hosted Impact Bus Tours to educate and inspire – all before the campaign officially kicked off! The energy this time of year is truly contagious.”
DuPont also kicked off their campaign this week and are seeing steady progress toward reaching their goal. Later in their campaign, they’ll host their annual chili cookoff, putting their cooking skills to the test. Throughout their campaign, employees will have the chance to win one of many unique gift baskets including a kitchen essentials package, the ultimate toolkit, fall themed package, date night package, beach day package and barrels of cheer.
Bullock Creek Schools kicked off their campaign hosting a kick-off event with an inspirational message from the United Way team. Midland Public Schools is getting creative with their campaign, offering an incentive raffle including prizes like an extended lunch hour.
The United Way 2023 campaign theme poses a simple question: “Have you ever?” Their hope is that the powerful and inspiring messaging based on the stories of our neighbors will connect those who need support with the resources to help, while educating those who aren’t in these situations about the issues our community faces.
“In my role at United Way, I have the opportunity to hear from our neighbors who’ve received help from our partners,” shared Cathleen Louisignau, Director of Engagement at United Way of Midland County. “These conversations are always so inspiring and fill me with gratitude for how our community continues to rally to support each other. The stories shared through our “Have you ever” series may be one person’s story, but they certainly represent so many in our community. We share them to help educate about the issues our neighbors face but also offer hope to those who may be in similar situations that there is help available.”
The United Way team also asked community members to be featured in their video series “We asked the Community…” to help build awareness. The campaign video features folks from corporations, businesses and the community who share their thoughts about issues our neighbors face like homelessness, the importance of reading at grade level, food security, financial support for those battling cancer and childcare. To watch the video, visit unitedwaymidland.org/campaignvideo.
During the campaign season, United Way is inviting all to get involved beyond making a financial contribution. Community members are invited to participate in their fall volunteer initiative and the 2023 virtual equity challenge:
The 2023 United Way campaign will continue throughout the rest of the year, and everyone is invited to be a part of it. To learn more about community needs, how dollars are invested for change, to read an impact story, or find help, you can visit unitedwaymidland.org/2023campaign.
