Photo courtesy of United Way of Central Alabama
Leroy Abrahams, head of community engagement at Regions Bank and chairman of the United Way of Central Alabama's fall Pacesetter giving campaign, speaks to representatives from dozens of companies at The Florentine Building in Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday, June 6, 2024.
The United Way of Central Alabama last week kicked off its 2024 fundraising effort with a charge to dozens of local companies to raise $10.7 million through this year’s Pacesetter Campaign, which was launched at a breakfast event at The Florentine Building in downtown Birmingham.
The Pacesetter Campaign serves as a jump-start to United Way's annual fundraising efforts, bringing together businesses and community leaders to support health and human services.
Mike Kemp, founder of Kemp Management Solutions and chairman of this year’s Pacesetter Campaign, said the companies involved in this campaign are “paving the way” for others throughout the year.
“What we do now will directly impact and improve the lives of people right here in our community. They are counting on us, and they are counting on you,” Kemp said. “Be somebody who makes a difference.”
Maryhelen Kirkpatrick, Alabama’s executive director of the American Cancer Society, said while this year’s theme of “Be somebody” most obviously applies to volunteering and donating to the United Way, it applies even more broadly to everyday life.
“Whether it's in your family, whether it's in the workplace or whether it's just building margin in your day to see if there's somebody to whom you can maybe lend a helping hand or an ear,” Kirkpatrick said.
Sponsors for the kickoff event last week included Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, AmFirst and Mercedes Benz U.S. International.
Leroy Abrahams, head of community engagement at Regions Bank and chairman of this year’s fall campaign, thanked everyone involved with the Pacesetter Campaign and pointed to a recent 30% increase in reading proficiency among third graders in Birmingham City Schools as yet another win for United Way.
“One of the reasons that increase happened is because those kids have services that allow them to eat, to have better housing security, to be tutored,” Abrahams said. “Those things weren't happening to the same degree several years ago. They're happening now [in part through United Way programs], and it allows those kids to be more successful.”
The success of those kids will have generational benefits, Abrahams said.
“And what happens when these kids are more successful is that the next generation also becomes more successful, because kids who get to eat do better in school, and kids who do better in school don't get into as much trouble,” Abrahams said. “They're more successful, and they earn more money, and they can provide for their family so the next generation benefits as well.”
The United Way of Central Alabama serves people in Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties, working to improve people’s lives and community conditions by providing programs and services that address needs such as health, education, financial stability and access to services.
To get involved in the United Way’s giving campaign this year, go to uwca.org/get-involved.
