You could win Carolina Panthers season tickets for the 2013-14 season. We’re talking club level seats for two with parking included!
$100/raffle ticket. Only 1500 tickets will be sold. Proceeds benefit United Way of Greater Greensboro’s annual campaign. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 14. Check back here for more information to on how to purchase yours.
The old saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” That’s exactly the idea that started a simple yet powerful practice at one local facility of a global manufacturing company.
Every so often in businesses, tools become obsolete. Typically these items are sold to scrap yards or sent to our landfills; but sometimes there are items in good condition that just deserve a new home. What if you could create change in your community by doing something as simple as selling your old stuff? Would you do it?
This Earth Day, we’re tipping our hats to our partners at P&G Greensboro for thinking creatively and doing just that: raising $6,100 for United Way by selling their obsolete tools to their employees.
P&G is committed to delivering products and services that make everyday life better for people around the world. P&G has a zero waste initiative, with a goal of putting zero waste into landfills—often made possible by turning waste and non-performing inventory into something useful.
P&G Greensboro recently underwent renovations to their machine shop. Many items still in working condition were upgraded, which created the opportunity to turn trash into treasure. After wrapping up their employee United Way campaign, a team of P&G staff worked together to create a silent auction to benefit United Way of Greater Greensboro.
“We saw it as an opportunity… with all of the efforts around the pledge drive, it felt like a fit,” said a P&G Employee Campaign Manager. “We talked about all of the good that comes from what we raise. There will be people out there who will appreciate this money.”
Employees were able to bid on everything from toolboxes to plasma cutters to welding tables. Even though the plant operates on rotating shifts, everyone was able to get in on the action to make a final bid. In the end, P&G was happy to reduce their waste stream and employees were happy to have awesome tools for personal use. The best benefit of all: a better community made possible by doing business a little differently.
Thank you P&G Greensboro for creating lasting change by investing in our community!
For more ideas on how your company can do business a little differently, give us a call at 336-378-6600.
United Way of Greater Greensboro’s Women’s Leadership is a group of women united to empower and strengthen families to succeed.
United Way of Greater Greensboro’s Women’s Leadership members invite you to attend the 3rd annual Women in Philanthropy Luncheon, benefiting programs & initiatives supported by United Way of Greater Greensboro.
Join us for this luncheon open to all who want to make a difference.
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Maya Angelou, Renaissance Woman and Best Selling Author.
Only a few tickets remain! To purchase tickets, please contact Julie Longmire at 378.5023 or Julie.Longmire@unitedwaygso.org.
When: Tuesday, May 14 from 11:30 am- 1:30pm
Where: Grandover Resort & Conference Center
Tickets are $50 (including lunch entrée)
United Way of Greater Greensboro’s African American Leadership group represents African Americans who are leadership givers that invest their time and resources to strengthen the impact of United Way of Greater Greensboro and its community partnerships.
African American Leadership is excited to announce the 2nd Annual African American Leadership Speaker Series. This year’s focus will be education and will feature keynote speaker Soledad O’Brien, Acclaimed Special Investigations Correspondent and Host of CNN’s morning show, Starting Point. This event will honor two outstanding leaders, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole and Dr. Edward B. Fort.
Schedule of Events – March 22, 2013
9:00 – 11:00 am
Education Symposium
Moderator: Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole
Panelists Include:
11:30 am – 1:15 pm
Keynote Address Lunch: Soledad O’Brien
African American Leadership Founding Award
Presented to Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Director of National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute
Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented to Dr. Edward B. Fort, Chancellor Emeritus, NC A&T State University
1:30 – 3:00 pm
Meet & Greet with Honorees
This is your opportunity to meet the event’s honorees. You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity.
Where
The Elm Street Center
203 S. Elm Street, Greensboro
Greensboro, NC 27401
Individual Tickets on Sale February 18 at UnitedWayGSO.org/RSVP
For Sponsorship Information, Contact 336-378-5033 or Marie.Boulware@UnitedWayGSO.org.
Almost half of children under age five in Guilford County who live in a single parent-led household are living below the Federal Poverty Level – 49.7% (2010 U.S. Census). Like thousands of these low-income, single-parent families, “Kandice” can’t afford child care while she works to provide for her children. Our Regional Child Care Resources & Referral program (RCCR&R) provides child care scholarships to parents like Kandice so they can work while their children prepare for success in school.
United Way of Greater Greensboro’s office will be closed on January 1st, 2013 for New Year’s Day.
Please note that 2012 donation payments may be mailed to 1500 Yanceyville Street, Greensboro, NC 27405 throughout the end of the year. Check donations postmarked and dated by December 31, 2012 will be honored as 2012 contributions if they are received by United Way the first week of January 2013. Credit card payments must be made by 5:00 p.m. December 28, 2012.
Online giving is for new donations/payments only, not for payment of outstanding balances.
If you are paying off a current pledge by credit card this must be done by phone or in person at the United Way location on Yanceyville St. before 5:00 p.m. December 28, 2012
If you wish to make a new donation and pay that donation online this must be done prior to 5:00 p.m. in order to process the charge and be eligible for your tax donation. Online credit cards are NOT processed automatically, so please make sure you post your pledge/payment by 5:00 p.m. December 28, 2012.
Our website will not accept new pledges after December 28, 2012. It will reopen January 2nd for new donations.
If you have any questions please contact Dawn Taylor at dawn.taylor@unitedwaygso.org or 336-378-6612.
Contact: John McLendon
Director, Marketing & Communications
John.McLendon@unitedwaygso.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Leaders Gather Around “Blueprint for Lasting Change”
Greensboro, NC, September 19, 2012 – Today, United Way of Greater Greensboro presented its “Blueprint for Lasting Change” at N.C. A & T University’s Alumni Event Center. United Way presented an overview of objectives and strategicplans for adding new community goals beyond fund raising.Community leaders, United Way agencies and other business partners gathered to participate in the kick off event which also unveiled its collaborative goal setting plan and its own campaign target.
Two years ago after United Way presented the Voices. Choices.Human Service Needs Assessment that identified four human service priorities. Community and agency leaders, worked together to develop community level goals to address these priorities. United Way also announced new funding strategies.The new strategies will be measureable and will directly relateto community goals that have been and are being set in the areasof Education, Income and Health. “We are becoming conveners and facilitators by working with community partners to set and achieve community level goals for greater impact. And, we are building stronger relationships with donors to maximize their time, treasures and voice” stated Sue Cole, Chairman of the Board of United Way of Greater Greensboro.
Richard L. “Skip” Moore, President of the Weaver Foundationserved as moderator for a panel discussion among educators and agencies. They discussed how different interests and groups in the community have come together collectively to produce a positive impact in the community by addressing these human conditions.
United Way announced new strategies for funding agency programs and a community wide mentoring initiative, “Mentoring Matters” which align with AchieveGuilford goals. United Way partner agency, Communities In Schools, also announced the first year success of the new African Americanand Latino male initiative. This mentoring program at Wiley Elementary School, included nearly 50 2nd to 5th grade boys thathave been mentored since January, 2012. As a result of United Way and after school supports, these boys dramatically improved their success in school. 92% of the boys mentored passed the math End of Grade test and 75% passed the Reading End of Grade test. “Our track record shows that when we all work together, our kids win”, stated Tony Watlington, Strategic Planning Director of Guilford County Schools.
United Way also shared successes achieved in its five year Thriving At Three initiative which is focused on at risk children,aged 0 to 3, to ensure they achieve critical milestones in their health and developmental behavior. Results include the opening of the Born Learning Trail, in the Claremont Courts Community, as well as starting the Raising A Reader forClaremont Courts, two local daycare centers and Jones Elementary School.
“In order to make a significant change in community conditions in these programs and many of the strong traditional programs that United Way funds in these areas, we must be able to measure progress consistently and collectively and we must harness the power of volunteer contributions as well as financial contributions” said Keith Barsuhn President & CEO of United Way.
To support the changes as well as build capacity in the existing 89 programs and initiatives funded by United Way, Chancellor Harold Martin of North Carolina A&T State University and2012 United Way Campaign Chair announced a fundraising goal of $11,000,000, which is a 3.5% increase over last years resul
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United Way of Greater Greensboro supports 89 programs and initiatives through 29 member agencies and partners meeting critical needs in our community in the areas of education, income and health. 2012 marks the 125th birthday of the United Way. In 1887, in Denver, CO, United Way became one of the most important social inventions in history and sparked a movement that established United Way. In 2012, United Way of Greater Greensboro celebrates 90 years of local investments.
Third Annual Handbags for Literacy: A Celebration of Fashion and Compassion
WHEN: doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Live auction begins at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: “That” Space located in The Empire Room
203 S. Elm Street, Greensboro
*Complimentary Parking in adjacent deck
Bring your family and friends out for an incredible night of fun, fashion and fundraising to benefit disadvantaged children on Thursday, October 18. For a $5 admission, each participant receives a bidding number, wine, appetizers and the chance to own a designer handbag. A wide selection will be auctioned, with a bag to fit every budget.
The money raised from the auction will benefit the new expansion project from United Way of Greater Greensboro’s Thriving at Three Initiative – “Raising A Reader.” The program specifically assists economically disadvantaged families living in the Greater Greensboro area and provides them with access to a broad collection of high quality, award winning children‘s books for parents to share with their children. By empowering parents as teachers to read to their children and prepare them for a strong start in kindergarten, they will be encouraged as life long learners.
Donations of New and gently used designer handbag may be made at United Way of Greater Greensboro, 1500 Yanceyville Street.
New for 2012! Reserved seating is available with the Girlfriend Package, which includes sponsorship and registration for a table up to six seats, a bottle of champagne, souvenir glasses to keep, and a platter of appetizers for the table to share.
For more information, contact Julie Longmire at 336-378-5023.
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This blog post was written by guest blogger Karen Walrond, photographer, author, and blogger who will be the guest speaker at Women in Philanthropy 2012 on May 22nd. Like Karen’s blog? See her in person! Click here to purchase your ticket.
Have you ever played that game where you draw up a guest list for your dream dinner party, including only famous people, whether or not they’re still living? I love that game. Some favourite answers I’ve often heard are John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Nelson Mandela, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa. (Personally, I would invite all of those people, and also add Steve Jobs, Ann Richards, Barack Obama, Aretha Franklin, Bill Bryson, the Dalai Lama, Harper Lee, Maya Rudolph and Lady Gaga. That, my friends, would be a dinner party.)
Another person who has always been near the top of my invitation list, however (and also one of the most common answers I hear, of course) is Mahatma Gandhi. His philosophy on nonviolence, specifically to effect change, continues to be so revolutionary, especially in this time of continued war. I’ve been intrigued by his teachings since I was quite young, and the thought of ever sitting down with him one-on-one and asking him questions about his life and times is a fantasy I’ve harboured for many years.
Obviously, this is never going to happen. But late last year, I experienced the next best thing.
In early November, Stephen F. Austin State University held their annual Leadership Conference, and the theme was “Be the Change,” based on the quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Needless to say, it was an honour to be asked to be the closing keynote for this event, and an invitation that I gratefully accepted. But I became even more excited when I subsequently learned that the lunchtime keynote was Mr. Arun Gandhi, the venerable Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson. Mr. Gandhi was born in apartheid-era South Africa, and after facing discrimination and bigotry (manifesting in a few serious beat-downs by both blacks and whites), his family sent him to India to live with his grandfather, during the time when the Mahatma’s influence was at its height. Over the weekend, Mr. Gandhi spoke several times — at a private dinner on Friday, and a private breakfast on Saturday morning before his lunchtime keynote — but for me, the most amazing moments came before breakfast the morning the conference began.
I’d woken up early to check out of my hotel and have a cup of tea before our host met us to take us to the university, and found Mr. Gandhi already sitting in the lobby reading the newspaper, having a cup of coffee. “You are welcome to join me,” he said with a smile, and so, after I made my cup of tea, I did.
We sat and talked for about 45 minutes — I asked him about his travels, his family, his thoughts on the state of the world today, all of which he answered fully and with astonishing patience, considering I was probably asking him questions he’d heard a million times before. The word that immediately comes to mind to describe him is “gentle” — he is a quiet man who speaks slowly and deliberately, and everything about him is circumspect. I couldn’t help but feel that I was in the presence of a truly extraordinary spirit, one full of incredible wisdom, and it made me feel very small and childlike, like I have so much more to learn and grow in my lifetime. He is extremely committed to spreading the message of pacifism and nonviolence espoused by his grandfather as much as possible, clearly considering it his life mission to carry on the torch. To say I am filled with admiration for the man would be the understatement of the century.
Later that day I watched him address the students of SFASU (some extraordinary spirits in their own right, I have to say), I couldn’t help but wonder if they really grasped what an incredible life experience they were having, just sitting in that room, listening to his words. In particular, I found myself looking around the room at the expressions of the young men and women in the room when Mr. Gandhi expressed his belief that we are not here by accident – we are here to fulfill a purpose. He talked about “trusteeship,” as espoused by his grandfather: we all have talents — each and every one of us — but we feel like we own the talent or gift. The Mahatma believed that we don’t own them, but rather we are trustees of the talent, and we are called upon to use these talents for the benefit of others.
I believe this wholeheartedly. In writing my book, The Beauty of Different, I found myself faced with a considerable body of evidence that everyone is Different, and that Different is often the source of immeasurable beauty. But I’ve also become to believe that perhaps these differences aren’t just coincidences – that there’s a reason we are Different. It has occurred to me more recently that these Differents may have been specifically designed for each of us to help change the world – or, at the very minimum, help change our individual worlds.
And even if I’m wrong — even if there’s really no reason for us to have these gifts, that there is no meaning behind it, and it’s just some sort of evolutionary scientific luck-of-the-genetic-draw — it still behooves us to use these gifts in a way that makes the world, or at least our worlds, a little better, don’t you think? Besides, I have to think that using our gifts and our passions to help improve our communities is a much more sustainable (and fulfilling) action than simply signing our names to cheques: in my experience, giving back while simultaneous feeding our souls with what we love always feels great.
It’s something to think about, I guess.
And it might even make for great conversation at that dream dinner party.
This blog was written by Anna Hoy, Marketing & Communications Specialist for United Way of Greater Greensboro.
Photography is an art that I now realize I’ve always loved. On Thursday, I had the pleasure of taking photos at our annual campaign celebration. What I love most about my job when I’m wearing my “photographer hat” is that I get to capture the life, the beauty, in people. I enjoy getting to meet these fascinating people, who are all making a difference in their own way for our community, and then being able to share their beauty with others through my photos.
Next month, United Way of Greater Greensboro will welcome Karen Walrond, photographer, author, and blogger, to talk about what real beauty means to her. Take one glance at Karen’s work and you will find many answers to what beauty is. To me, real beauty radiates in people who live their lives with the purpose of leaving this world better than they found it. We all know the beauty we feel inside when we pay it forward or give back; that beauty inside makes people glow on the outside too.
The best part about my day at the celebration was getting to spend a few minutes with a handful of fourth-grade boys from Wiley Elementary School. After our event ended, the group of boys from our United Way sponsored mentoring program, who had served as ushers to the stage that morning, joined me in a spontaneous photography lesson.
It started by one of the boys who asked me to take a photo of him and his friends. I asked, “Have you ever taken photos with a camera like this?” “Hold this button until you see the red dots,” I would say, “then press it until you hear it click.” My camera must have rotated through four or five of the boys during that impromptu lesson, each one patiently waiting for their turn to capture the world through their eyes. When I got back to the office to upload the pictures, I started scrolling through the ones the boys had taken. Looking through the lens of those boys, you can see so much happiness, excitement, and the beauty of this life we’re in together.
And there was one photo that surprised me: a photo of me.
I admit I find it fun to take photos of people who radiate the spirit of what it means to LIVE UNITED; it’s just different when you’re normally behind the lens and see it in other people. I’m hoping that the boy who captured this photo of me was experiencing that kind of fun too.
I get joy out of taking photos, but yesterday it seemed little in comparison to the expressions on these boys’ faces as they were furiously clicking away. Since I didn’t have my camera (as the boys were busy using it), I took a mental photo of watching this group of young boys, some of which may have never considered themselves photographers, capturing the beauty of life. It was a photo I won’t forget.
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