LIVING UNITED in Erie County

What a pleasure it was to have my two daughters, Isabella (10) and Giovana (5) join me at center court last Saturday night for the Erie BayHawks home opener to help present a check for $10,000 to the Red Cross.  

We all know that United Way helps improve the lives of over 100,000 people in Erie County each year in the areas of EDUCATION, INCOME and HEALTH.   But our most critical support is for Community Basics like the Disaster Services program we fund at the Erie County Chapter of the American Red Cross, which helps victims throughout the year in times of emergency like fires, floods and storms.  I’d like to give a special shout out to Matt Bresse and the Erie BayHawks for partnering with Red Cross to raise additional funds to help those directly affected by the recent apartment fire in Millcreek.

We officially have a new leader! Our Board of Directors announced this morning the selection of Bill Jackson as President and Chief Professional Officer, effective immediately. Bill had been serving as interim president since October 1.

John Masterson, our board chair, stated that "after carefully watching his performance over the past few months, it became clear to us that Bill is the best person for the job." Take a look at the press conference to learn more.

Congratulations, Bill!

As we come to the end of the public side of the United Way campaign, I want to take this opportunity to thank our Loaned Representatives, the men and woman who are essential to making our campaign a success.

This year's LRs were Ron Hilling, Ken Zeisler, David Jackson, Rob Celeski, Mary Ellen Hermann, Gary Brumbaugh and Dennis Fisher. We are so grateful to these shining examples of what it means to LIVE UNITED.

I also want to thank the companies that support the LR Program: GE Transportation, PNC, Hamot, Saint Vincent, Edinboro University and Northwest Savings Bank. This collaboration further proves that together, united, we can create opportunities for a better tomorrow.

Today, in an effort to battle tough economic challenges, we held our first-ever CEO Summit at United Way. And the guest list was impressive. The leaders of some Erie County's  largest employersand labor leaders came together to support the 2009 Campaign and encourage others to do the same.

Two common themes resonated among these leaders: 1. The need has never been greater and 2. United Way is the best organization to mobilize our community to help.

They say you can tell a lot about someone by who their friends are.

Based on who attended this event, our supporters should feel very proud of United Way.  I know I am.