United Way Suwannee Valley

United Way of Suwannee Valley cordially invites all business leaders and community members to attend its annual community fundraising campaign kick-off event at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 2, at Florida Gateway College (formerly Lake City Community College) in Howard Conference Center.

This year’s United Way community fundraising campaign theme reinforces the national theme of LIVE UNITEDR. The event will feature activities for children including sidewalk chalk art; coloring, face painting and a magic show provided by Louie Mabry, pastor of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church. The dinner will be catered by High Power Vending, the Florida Gateway College food service provider, and will be a country barbecue. The dinner menu includes ribs, barbeque chicken, Greek salad, red potato salad, broccoli rice casserole, brown sugar glazed carrots, garlic bread, and Oreo delight for dessert. The cost will be $12 for adults and $8 for children four to 12. Children under four are free.

Speakers this year will include Eugene Jefferson, a member of the United Way of Suwannee Valley Board of Directors and both a resident of and the city councilman for the area affected by the 2008 tornado.

This year’s campaign season will again feature the youth of our community who will focus on the United Way theme admonishing community members to Give. Advocate. Volunteer. United Way is working with each of the county school districts in the United Way service area to identify students to speak at this year’s campaign season events and to heighten both the youths’ awareness of community participation and the community’s recognition of the involvement of our youth in our community.

“Our United Way Communications Committee adopted the national theme of ‘LIVE UNITED,’” said Rob Wolfe, chair of the Communications Committee, which is responsible for planning the campaign events. “The LIVE UNITED message invites us to ‘Give. Advocate. Volunteer.’ Through participation in United Way, we can all ‘LIVE UNITED,’” sharing our time, talents and resources for the common good of our community.”

“Our kick-off event always includes children’s activities in an effort to promote family participation,” said Karen M. Mizer, president of the United Way of Suwannee Valley Board of Directors. “All are invited and encouraged to join our community in celebrating our local United Way and in supporting our annual community fundraising campaign.”

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are required and may be made by contacting the United Way office at 386-752-5604 x 102 by August 27. Tables of eight can be reserved by either families or businesses. Make checks payable to United Way of Suwannee Valley, Inc. 325 NE Hernando Avenue, Lake City, FL 32055.

In addition to conducting the annual community fundraising campaign which the September 2 event kicks off, the local United Way is the organization which brought the Community Foundation and the Food Bank of Suwannee Valley to our community. Volunteers, with staff leadership from our United Way, initiated the Suwannee Valley Long Term Recovery Committee to assist at-risk residents in their recovery from the 2004 hurricanes. This committee has remained active due to the 2005 hurricane evacuees, the 2006 Christmas Day tornado, the 2008 tornado in Lake City and last year’s spring flooding in Hamilton, Suwannee and Lafayette counties.

Our United Way’s service to our community as the lead agency for the homeless coalition continues. Additional current initiatives include the Suwannee Valley Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) and 2-1-1 information and referral services.

United Way of Suwannee Valley is a community impact and fundraising organization which, utilizing volunteers on all levels, advances the common good by identifying unmet community needs and seeking to alleviate those needs through United Way of Suwannee Valley initiatives and the funding of 23 affiliated health and human service agencies.

Our community’s support of United Way enables the continued services of the affiliated agencies and United Way community initiatives.

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