A United Way campaign can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding activies an organization particpates in all year. It gives employees the opportunity to unite behind a common cause and allows them to have a little fun in the process.

Victory Celebration Luncheon

Wednesday, January 27, 2010, Rappahannock United Way held its annual Campaign Celebration Luncheon at the Fredericksburg Country Club. Community leaders, nonprofit partners, loyal donors and volunteers were all in attendance to hear the results of their collective efforts. It was announced the 2009 Annual Campaign raised $3,267,172 to date, a $140,000 increase over the 2008 Campaign.

Pacesetter companies, who conduct their workplace charitable giving campaigns in September to build momentum for the region-wide drive, accounted for over 25% or $800,000 raised. Mary Washington Healthcare, formerly MediCorp Healthcare, increased their gift by 35% donating $274,747.  In addition, GEICO, Rappahannock United Way’s highest contributor, donated over $678,000.

Contributions from local and federal government employees also played an integral role in the 2009 Campaign. The Potomac Combined Federal Campaign, which includes federal and military personnel at Quantico, Dahlgren, and Fort A.P. Hill, raised $1,156,000 to date; a 17% increase from last year. Local government employees from the city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford raised over $276,000; despite having undergone major cutbacks.

United Way workplace campaigns bring a change of pace and fun to organizations. Upper management and employee campaign coordinators went particularly above and beyond to make their campaigns both educational and enjoyable for their employees this year.  As a result of their successes, the following organizations were presented with the distinguished 2009 Chairman’s Awards of Excellence:

Best Overall Campaign Award – Rappahannock Area Community Services Board
Employee Campaign Performance Award – CVS Distribution Center
Employee Education & Volunteerism Award – Printpack
Corporate Involvement & Support Award – Fredericksburg Smile Center
Highest Contributor Award – GEICO
Local Government Top Dog Award – Fredericksburg City Government

Congratulations to Lisa Mitchell of CVS Distribution Center; Bill Sielski and Samantha Ashley of The Free Lance-Star; Kathy Kincaid, Derrick Rollins and Alban Dudley of Dominion VA Power; and Crystal Loving of Stafford County Schools  for being named the 2009 Campaign Coordinators of the Year.

United Way has also focused much of their effort on developing new business this year, which has resulted in donations from 11 new organizations, 10+ new leadership givers, and 1 new Tocqueville donor, donating $10,000, Dr. Cathie Butterworth and Mark Butterworth of the Fredericksburg Smile Center. It is also worth noting, Wegmans employees raised $37,248 during their first campaign in Fredericksburg. In total, the United Way new business initiative raised over $61,500.

2009 Campaign Kickoff Breakfast

To raise an additional $100,000 to reach our $3.2 million dollar goal, we must think differently. We must fundraise differently. We must imagine what can become of our collective efforts.

On August 25, 2009 we held our annual Pacesetter Kickoff, using a community breakfast as a forum to annouce the amazing accomplishments we have made over the past year as a result of partnering with local organizations, individuals and nonprofits.

This event featured a heart warming thank you from Martin Young, a local individual whose life has been turned around as a result of United Way; as well as a keynote address by Mary Porter, Founder and CEO of Curiosity Zone.  With her extensive background in business and brand development, she challenged the audience to ignite their curiosity and imagine what could become of their collective efforts during the 2009 Campaign.

View pictures from the event generously provided by Studio of Studio of Seven Photography.

Campaign Coordinator Training

The 2009 Campaign Coordinator Training took place on Wednesday July 22, 2009. We sincerely appreciate all local organization's coordinators who came out and took part in this half day training, which included touring several partner agencies, reviewing new campaign materials and learning what it takes to run a phenominal United Way campaign. Pictures from the event will be posted soon, until then check out all the fun we had last year.

Pacesetter Organizations

Our community's leading companies and organizations are called Pacesetters. By conducting early and ambitious campaigns, Pacesetter organizations jump-start our annual campaign, raising new dollars to create opportunities to improve the quality of life for local residents. Our 2008 Pacesetters raised $795,044.