of Montgomery, Radford & Floyd E-news Update

In this issue: 2007-2008 Awards & Recognition

2007-2008 Awards & Recognition Event

United Way of Montgomery , Radford & Floyd recognized local businesses, governments, individual donors and volunteers who supported the organization through what Executive Director Kymn Davidson-Hamley called, “The most challenging we’ve faced in our history.”

The awards and recognition event was donated and hosted by The Farmhouse Restaurant in Christiansburg on Thursday, August 7.

“Every health and human service organization in our local community was pushed to the limit this past fiscal year following the April 16 tragedy,” Davidson-Hamley said. “We all did everything we could do to help, and then dug our heels in and found a way to keep up with normal operations in the aftermath. There’s probably not a single charity in this community that did not bear significant extra weight in the past year.”

United Way of Montgomery, Radford & Floyd raised over $300,000 after the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech for the organization’s United in Caring Fund. Distributions from the fund served two purposes:

Ø to provide assistance to local groups and organizations – including emergency responders, clergy, and mental health assistance groups – to assist in community recovery following the tragedy and

Ø to provide emergency financial assistance to victims and/or their families, most in the form of grants immediately following the tragedy.

The organization is waiting on an assessment of current community needs related to the events of April 16, 2007 to determine how to distribute the remaining funds.

Davidson-Hamley said the local United Way is still tallying final totals from the regular 2007-2008 campaign. “We are nearly done. I am pleased to report that somehow it seems we managed to remain almost level with the previous year’s funding – approximately $800,000. We have only our committed donors – business and individual – to thank for that. I can’t imagine how we would operate if we faced the upcoming year with the large decreases in funding our organization faced from 2003-2006.”  

Economic downturns in industrial segments of the local community, combined with several major natural catastrophes in a row, contributed to the downturn during that period, Davidson-Hamley said.  

“We are just working harder than ever – and smarter – to turn the ship around,” Davidson-Hamley said. “We’re working hard to educate the public about what we do, and why our local community needs support. If the community we live in deteriorates, the quality of life for all of us deteriorates. It’s up to each of us to work together to make our local community strong. That’s what we do. We can’t give up. It’s too important.”  

Davidson-Hamley said the United Way focuses on the following building blocks for a better life for those in our local community:

Ø    Supporting children & families in crisis                       

Ø    Providing health care to those in need            

Ø    Helping children & youth succeed      

Ø    Providing emergency training & disaster services                    

Ø    Providing critical basic needs                         

Ø    Improving quality of life for people with disabilities

Davidson-Hamley said, “With the support of local businesses, governments and donors, we are able to provide support to health and human service charities in the New River Valley; run Volunteer Solutions, an online volunteer-matching and donation-matching system for local residents and organizations; assist with other community initiatives that impact health and human services in the NRV; coordinate Federal Emergency Management food and shelter funding to partner agencies; coordinate Gifts-In-Kind donations for non-profits in the area; provide technical support to charities; and handle information and referral calls for residents looking for help, information and volunteer opportunities.”

Davidson-Hamley said individual donors often do not realize the importance of their gifts.

“We often hear, ‘I can only give $25 – what good is that?’ But what most people don’t realize is that more than eighty-five percent of the total donated each year to our organization comes from individual donors. That is huge. And the best part is that money is invested right back into our local community.”

The following companies and individuals were recognized for their support in the 2007-2008 United Way Campaign:

Gold Award Recipients: (Companies receiving the Gold Award had any two of the following: Any two of the following: 75% participation, 35 UWay volunteer hours (companies with less than 100 employees) or 60% participation, 50 UWay volunteer hours (if more than 100 employees); 20% increase in campaign; or $75 per capita giving.

American Electric Power q Atmos Energy Corporation q Cingular Wireless q Corning Incorporated q First Bank & Trust q First Bank of Virginia q First Citizens Bank q Hanna Real Estate q HHHunt & Foxridge q Hill Insurance Agency q HY-Tech Research Corporation q Jacksonville Center q L. L. Brown Agency Inc. q Long & Foster REALTORS q Nationwide Financial q New City Media q NRV Association of Realtors q Phoenix Integration q Prudential Radford & Associates q Scott & Stringfellow q SunTrust Bank q The National Bank q UW of Montgomery,Radford & Floyd q VT Foundation q VT Intellectual Properties q Wachovia Securities q Willow Springs Tree Farms

Silver Award Recipients: (Companies receiving the Silver Award had any two of the following:  60% participation, 25 UWay volunteer hours (companies with less than 100 employees) or 50% participation, 40 UWay volunteer hours (if more than 100 employees); 15% increase in campaign; or $45 per capita giving.

Carter Bank & Trust q Federal Express q Free Clinic of the NRV q Intellectual Disabilities Agency of the NRV q Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials q Stellar One q Target q Town of Blacksburg q US Cellular

Bronze Award Recipients: (Companies receiving the Silver Award had any two of the following four: 50% participation, 15 UWay volunteer hours (companies with less than 100 employees) or 35% participation, 35 UWay volunteer hours (if more than 100 employees); 10% increase in campaign; or $35 per capita giving.

Anderson & Associates q Bondurant Realty Corporation q Coldwell Banker Townside REALTORS q Danaher Motion Controls qEnterprise Rent-A-Car q Goodwill Industries of the Valleys q Kroger q Luna Group q Mental Health Association of the NRV q Moog Components Group q New River Community Action q Re/MAX Allegiance q Revivicor q Tetra q VT Servicesq VTLS q Wachovia Bank q Warm Hearth Village

Special Achievement Awards

Highest Percentage Increase in Giving:

1st Place - Kroger

2nd Place - New City Media  

3rd Place - Atmos Energy Corporation

Largest Dollar Increase in Giving:

1st Place - Corning

2nd Place - United Parcel Service  

3rd Place - Kroger

Largest Dollar Increase in Corporate Giving:

1st Place - VTLS

2nd Place - Carter Bank & Trust  

3rd Place - Corning

Largest Increase in Employee Participation:

1st Place - Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.

2nd Place - VTLS  

3rd Place - Atmos Energy Corp.

Most Creative Employee Campaign:

Warm Hearth Village - 1st Place

Long & Foster REALTORS - 2nd Place

All-Around Campaign Excellence Award

HHHunt Corp. & Foxridge

For excellence in every facet of their United Way campaign

Outstanding Community Service:              Long & Foster REALTORS

Exceptional Community Dedication:         Karen Cronin, retired from VT

Exceptional Community Dedication:         Dixon Hanna, Virginia Tech

Exceptional Community Dedication:         Nanci Hardwick, Schultz-Creehan

Exceptional Community Dedication:         Gary Schroeder, Luther Memorial Lutheran Church

Distinguished In-Kind Gift Recognition:    Craft Self-Storage, Billy Craft

For a full listing of all awards and volunteer recognition, please click here.

On the UWMRF Calendar

Top 25 Employee Campaigns 2007-2008

1. Moog Components Group

2. Stellar One

3. Corning, Inc.

4. National Bank

5. Danaher Motion Controls

6. Montgomery County Public Schools

7. Tetra

8. HHHunt Corp. & Foxridge

9. Federal-Mogul Corp.

10. Luna Group

11. Carilion NRV Medical Center

12. L. L. Brown Agency, Inc.

13. Town of Blacksburg

14. American Electric Power

15. United Parcel Service

16. Anderson & Associates

17. Rohn & Haas Electronic Materials

18. SunTrust Bank

19. Kroger

20. Virginia Tech Foundation

21. Warm Hearth Village

22. Long & Foster REALTORS

23. Montgomery County

24. Virginia Tech Services

25. VTLS

Check out the new UWMRF "Live United" video public service announcement! Visit www.unitedwaynrv.org (Quicktime player required)

HOW TO LIVE UNITED

 

JOIN HANDS

LEND YOUR MUSCLE

GIVE 10%

GIVE 110%

GIVE AN HOUR

SPEAK OUT

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