Winter Wonderland

It was sixty-seven degrees as I drove home this evening, but we're in winterfest mode nonetheless.

The Lucky Strike tower on the American Tobacco Campus is aglow for the Holidays, and the 2nd Annual Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge is underway.

Downtown Durham is merry and bright. Come and see!

Click here for info on the Christmas Tree Challenge and check out the slide show from the Friday night tower lighting at American Tobacco.

The United Way of the Greater Triangle is participating in the competition, but they donated their fir to a needy family. It's been replaced with this Charlie Brown tree - bearing a single ornament and a wimpy string of lights - to make a point from the 2011 United Way Campaign...

Visit the United Way website. Consider an on-line Holiday contribution...in support of 82 human services agencies and their 149 programs in the Triangle. Make 2012 merry and bright for someone else. It's the perfect gift!

...and here's how you can vote for the United Way's scrawny tree. They could win $5,000. Ready - Set - Text:

United we give. United we live.

Companies across the Triangle are rolling out their fall United Way campaigns. The 2011 effort began Monday at Capitol Broadcasting Co.

We are not a huge employer, but our staff has a big heart. CBC was ranked #12 on the United Way’s Impact 100 last year.

United Way is part of our corporate DNA.

CBC United Way boosters: Amy Baker, Wolfpack Sports Marketing;

Luanne Lane, 99.9 The Fan/620 The Buzz & Wool E. Bull

I’ve been involved with United Way campaigns for over a decade. We began with the slogan GIVE UNITED and that has morphed into LIVE UNITED…which combines giving, volunteerism and advocacy. Working with other companies in Durham and the RTP, I have recently seen a great example of that at Syngenta.

The biotech firm surpassed its goal ringing the bell at 103%. That’s the GIVE UNITED part - but hold on - there’s more:

According to Syngenta’s campaign leader Katie Seguin, their staff donated 753 pounds of food to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, and 60 of employees volunteered at eight United Way agencies for Syngenta in Action.

That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is an impressive commitment to LIVE UNITED!

Live United - 2011

The Triangle’s United Way campaign for 2011 officially began last Thursday with a kick-off at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

I’m a volunteer (a crusader, actually) in Durham County, and I visited this week with three RTP companies that have exemplary campaigns.

At BASF their effort got a jump-start today with a ping-pong and foosball tournament. Campaign leader Scott Dominy brings great enthusiasm to the cause. The BASF staff is a strong supporter of the Give United Fund.

United Way is part of the culture at GENBAND and DuPont Electronics and Communications. DuPont’s Division President David Miller sets a strong example, as is the case with Jeff Townley, President of Operations at GENBAND. Janet Perry at GENBAND and Kay Long at DuPont lead the campaigns.

Eighty-two United Way partner agencies and their 149 programs touch one in every three citizens of our community, Durham, Johnston, Orange and Wake counties. I’ve been involved with the campaign for a decade, and we used to say one in four people received services. Obviously, with high unemployment the demand is greater than ever - about 490,000 people last year.

You probably saw the story this week that America’s poverty rate is 15%, the highest it’s been since 1993. People are struggling, and the United Way is on the case!

It's Cool to Care!

We used our July 4th game as a platform to recognize "good things happening in Durham" as Mayor Bell is fond of saying...and two groups serving the Bull City.

With a captive audience of 12,000 - awaiting the fireworks show Sunday night - Durham's annual It's Cool to Care awards were announced.

On the left are young folks from Durham Habitat's YOUTH UNITED. On the right, representatives of TEAMING FOR TECHNOLOGY, an arm of United Way of the Greater Triangle. They're receiving their service trophies from Bulls' GM Mike Birling and Wool E. Bull.

Please, click on the links above and watch the videos. Learn more about these great organizations.

HATS OFF to Al Reynolds and Joe Burgess with T4T...and to Deidre Callahan and her crew of YOUTH UNITED at Habitat. Yes, it's cool to care!

Live United III

A final post on a subject near and dear to my heart - the United Way of the Greater Triangle...

Despite the Bulls’ 2009 national championship, I like to point out that we’re not really in the baseball business; we’re in the business of family entertainment. I find that particularly rewarding. The Durham Bulls Athletic Park is like a giant rec room - families just hangin’ out…food and drink…kids running wild…lots of conversation, laughter and camaraderie.

But there are things we don’t see at the ballpark - the family secrets: The battered wife. The abused child. Drug addiction. The lonely senior citizen. The illiterate adult. The dying cancer patient in need of hospice care. We don’t see the child at risk because his family has fallen apart. We don’t see the aids patient. We don’t meet the Hispanic family for whom the American Dream seems elusive.

When I support the United Way, I’m helping those people and attacking each and every one of those problems. Plus: Inner city day care, childcare scholarships for low-income families, temporary housing for homeless families, pregnancy counseling, adoption and foster care services. I’m helping the Y, the Girl Scouts and the Red Cross.

The United Way is like a mutual fund for good works. A $17 million dollar portfolio of social/human services…invested wisely in 158 programs at 89 agencies…invested with compassion in our community.

And take a look at this video from Jim Green, a Sr. VP with United Way of the Greater Triangle. Jim was an “at risk” kid. He understands at a very intimate level what it means to LIVE UNITED…



Live United I
Live United II
Web site: United Way of the Greater Triangle

Live United II

The Bulls and Capitol Broadcasting Co. are longtime champions of the United Way of the Greater Triangle. I have some more stats for you. Consider this the flip side of UWGT’s trading card…

1 in 4 Triangle residents will receive service(s)…from the 89 United Way affiliated agencies…that operate 158 programs…in Wake, Durham, Orange and Johnston Counties.

I was curious as to how the total of $17 million raised compares to communities of similar size (1.1 - 1.2 million population.) I got the numbers from UWGT and by making a few calls. It’s a mixed bag based using 2008 (pre-recession) totals:

New Orleans - $16 mil
Austin - $17 mil
Nashville - $16 mil

Memphis - $26 mil
Jacksonville - $25 mil
Louisville - $27 mil

The last three markets might be stronger because those cities have more corporate headquarters - and companies with a UW tradition - but I’m not convinced that is the determinant.

A most surprising stat…from the Triad: Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point have separate community campaigns, and they raised a total of $35 million. Wow!

It’s hard to draw hard and fast conclusions from these numbers, but I know UWGT is looking at the “best practices” of the more successful campaigns for lessons learned and new strategies.

One thing I wonder about here in the Triangle: We have a young work force and more young, high-tech companies. They don’t have deep roots with United Way.

We need to work on that! More in my next post…

Live United

We are stalwart supporters of United Way. Our division business manager Rhonda Carlile serves on Durham’s Program Accountability Committee and I’m on the Durham County Cabinet.

Most folks only see the fund raising side of United Way, but there’s considerable work behind-the-scenes to analyze community needs, allocate funds accordingly and hold human service agencies accountable for the money they receive through United Way.

75% of the $17 million raised last year by the United Way of the Greater Triangle came directly from employees contributing to workplace campaigns. That’s hard-earned money from people with generous hearts. I can assure you from personal experience that United Way is most serious about its responsibility to donors.

Speaking of the ’09 campaign, Capitol Broadcasting received a pair of awards for its promotional support at the Durham Performing Arts Center on February 25th.

Rhonda Carlile accepts on behalf of the Durham Bulls.

Loretta Harper-Arnold and Chris Downey receive the award for Capitol Broadcasting Company.

~ ~ ~ ~

Baseball fans love stats and comparisons. Let me apply that to United Way…

As I mentioned, the 2009 Triangle campaign raised $17 million. The same amount was contributed in 2008, but holding your own in a recession is pretty darned good. The Chronicle of Philanthropy predicted that charitable giving would be down 9% last year, so United Way supporters in our community bucked the trend!

How does the Triangle compare to peer communities, ie, Nashville, Austin, Jacksonville? More stats in my next post…