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Pacesetter companies
Activities excite employees
The 2009 Pacesetters have done a great job getting their employees excited about the United Way Campaign. Special events ranging from 50/50 contests to special drawings have been highly successful. Many companies have hosted United Way meetings where representatives from United Way and their community partners have spoken to employees about the importance of their contributions. Below are some highlights from the Pacesetter campaign:
Rheem hosted its widely-popular 50/50 drawings again this year. For 10 weeks, the Purple Prize Patrol, their United Way Campaign Committee, sells tickets to Rheem employees. Every Friday at 1:30, the prize patrol drives around the entire plant carrying balloons and honking as they pass. Finally, the winner is greeted with their purple balloons and their prize money. The final week, Larry Taylor was the lucky winner. He walked away with $693! Here he is pictured with the purple prize patrol.
Linda Gabriel at Next Step Day Room talks to First National Bank employees about their programs on one of the agency tours.
As a way to help their employees understand how United Way dollars make an impact, First National Bank of Fort Smith held an entire week of agency tours. Each day, different employees were taken to visit various United Way agencies. Some of the stops included the Next Step Day Room, Girl Scouts, Community Dental Clinic, Fountain of Youth, Lincoln Child Care and Community Services Clearinghouse.
The 2009 Golden Living Trivia Contest winners were Quattro Formaggio Magnifico.
Golden Living's annual United Way Trivia Contest drew quite a crowd again this year. Nine teams competed to be the Top Trivia Masters. United Way staff and volunteers served as guest judges for the event. Teams could purchase "bribes" to help with questions they didn't know the answer. Questions ranged from "weather" song titles, to forms of currency to television sitcom pets. The game came down to a tiebreaker round for two teams. Each team had to "Name that Saint" based on clues given. Ultimately, Quattro Formaggio Magnifico proved victorious and walked away with the coveted title. | |
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How do you LIVE UNITED?
United Way of Fort Smith Area is asking people in our community "How do you LIVE UNITED?" Whether you give to the United Way campaign, advocate for a cause for which you are passionate or volunteer your time at an organization, you are choosing to LIVE UNITED. We want to know how you give back. Tell us how you give, advocate or volunteer. Share your story about how and why you help out in the community. We want to know so we can share how our volunteers, coordinators and loyal supporters LIVE UNITED. Please e-mail how you LIVE UNITED to unitedway@mynewroads.com or call 782-1311. We want to hear from you! |
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How do I LIVE UNITED?
"I LIVE UNITED by volunteer coaching softball, basketball, and soccer for the children of our community. I also live United by volunteering time as a Board member for Girls, Inc. and Fort Smith Express Soccer Association, and acting as a Loaned Executive for the United Way."
-Keith Cline, First National Bank of Fort Smith
"I LIVE UNITED by participating in all of the events that we have within our company to raise money that will provide for the people in our community. We are a Pacesetter Company and I think it is important to be an example to our customers, our associates, and the business community. Not only is this a personal belief, but it is part of our Arvest Culture to give something back to the community where we are privileged to serve."
-Janice Tanner, Arvest Bank
"I LIVE UNITED by helping pack and deliver backpacks for kids and by being a member of the Downtown Optimist Club who (through various fund raisers) haven given funds to several organizations through the years such as FSBGC, Girl's Inc, Children's Shelter, Women's Shelter and many more."
-Susan Peters, Bank of the Ozarks
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Campaign ideas
for Fall
Most companies are always looking for new ways to engage employees in the United Way campaign. Here are some tips for how to generate some new excitement and hopefully new dollars to your campaign:
Fun events
- Set up a miniature golf course for employees. Test people's skills with a nine-hole course around the office. Be creative! Include ramps, sand, slinkeys, office supplies, cups, water, etc.. Charge $25 for twosomes of upper management, $15 for twosomes of middle management and $10 for twosomes of all other staff.
- Host a bingo game. Gather prizes or have some donated to give away. Charge per card and play several rounds. Games can be held during lunch, breaks or even after hours.
- Halloween is coming...host a pumpkin decorating contest. Charge an entry fee per pumpkin and then charge $1 per vote. Have numerous categories such as "Most Creative," "Scariest," and "Best Overall." se wearing the most outrageous Hawaiian outfit.
United Way meetings
- Allow United Way representatives in to do presentations. This enables United Way to explain how dollars impact the community and gives employees the opportunity to ask questions they may have about contributing. These can easily be arranged by calling the United Way office at 782-1311.
- At United Way meetings with employees, distribute pledge cards and encourage employees to submit them before leaving. Draw for door prizes for those who submit their pledge card at the end of the meeting.
- Include a manager, supervisor, company president or other seniority at your organization in the United Way meetings. Have he or she speak about why he or she supports United Way, as well as how the company supports United Way. This demonstrates that the company as a whole is proud to be a supporter of United Way and encourages giving company-wide.
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Ashley Everetts, Emily Six and Kelsi McBrayer accept a bag of school supplies at the Van Buren Wal-Mart.
Thanks for making an impact on children's lives with Stuff the Bus
Thank you to all of the volunteers and donors that made Stuff the Bus a huge success this year! This year we collected 34,000 packages of school supplies at 14 locations in 5 counties, which was 1,000 packages more than 2008. The school supplies were delivered to 33 area school districts and community partner agencies. Many at-risk children, because of the success of Stuff the Bus, began the school year with the necessary school supplies to not only enable them to complete their schoolwork, but help raise their self-esteem.
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KWHN radio interviews
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Tune in every Monday morning to Arklahoma AM on KWHN 1320 AM at 7:45. Every Monday a United Way representative and/or United Way agencies will be featured and on air to talk about their organization and upcoming events. It's a great way to learn about how United Way dollars make an impact on the agencies and out in the community. A special thank you to Gary Elmore and Bryan Harris for supporting United Way and the 33 community partners by having us in every week!
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| Campaign packets |
With the campaign soon to officially kick-off, United Way staff and volunteers are busy distributing packets to all participating companies. Loaned Executives will assist United Way by contacting companies and delivering packets containing pledge forms, posters and campaign literature to the coordinator or top contact at teach organization. If you have not received your packet by September 10th, please contact the United Way office at 782-1311.
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Calendar of Events
September 4
Pacesetter Totals Due to United Way
United Way Kick-Off
Thursday, September 10
11:30 am
Golden Living Dining Center
Franklin County Kick-Off
Wednesday, September 9
11:30 am
ATU - Ozark Campus
Conference Center
South Logan County
Kick-Off
Wednesday, September 16
Noon
Jeral L. Hampton
Meeting Place
October 8
Power of the Purse
Fort Smith Convention Center
11:30 am
October 15
Loaned Executive Lunch
Fort Smith Convention
Center Rotunda
11:30 am
November 20 Campaign Packets Returned to United Way (to be eligible for awards)
December 10
United Way Campaign
Wrap-Up
Fort Smith Convention
Center Annex
11:30 am |
Give.
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| United Way's annual campaign is the easiest and most powerful way to invest in your community.
United Way addresses the needs important to people who live and work in Crawford, Franklin, LeFlore, Logan, Sebastian and Sequoyah counties. |
| Advocate. |
| You have the power to make change. Get informed. Tell your friends. Write a letter to the editor. Contact your elected officials. United Way needs people passionate about education, income and health |
| Volunteer. |
| We all have special talents. Things we can do to help. Join hands. Give a Saturday. Think of we before me. Reach out a hand and influence the condition of all |
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