United Way of Anderson County has held several events already this campaign season, including their inaugural Leading Ladies United luncheon, which provided an opportunity for networking and for attendees to hear about several girls’ and women’s initiatives that United Way has under way.
Taste of Anderson County was a success in September, with live music, food vendors, a full bar, and plenty of kids activities. The community came out to support in full force and had a great Thursday night eating and drinking together, a press release said.
Bob Kesling came to celebrate the Vols with United Way supporters at a September 16 breakfast that focused on getting the community involved through giving back with time and money.
“Of course, Campaign Co-Chair Bear Stephenson auctioned a few Vols items to raise some extra dollars,” the press release said.
The next event on the United Way calendar is the Annual Starfish Award Luncheon which will be held Tuesday, November 29, at 11:30 a.m. Table sponsorships are still available, and general admission tickets will go on sale November 1.
Several large campaigns have already wrapped up with exciting results such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was up 1 percent, and ORAU, which was also up from last year.
Smaller yet exciting campaigns are also running hard, the press release said. The Oak Ridge Schools are halfway to their 2016 United Way Campaign goal of $20,000, and several schools have already shown significant increases in giving. They will be wrapping up their campaign at the end of this month, the release said.
The Oak Ridge Schools have again come up with creative ways to get donors engaged. On Friday, September 30. Executive Director Naomi Asher visited Linden Elementary School, where students and teachers gathered to celebrate their campaign success. Together, students and faculty raised a total of $1,300, five times their previous year’s total.
As an incentive, Asher and Linden teacher Calvin Maddox (friends since they attended Linden Elementary School together) promised to participate in a “Russian Egg Roulette Challenge†if Linden Elementary met their campaign goal. A game of risk and luck, Russian Egg Roulette is played by choosing an egg from the carton and smashing it against your head, without knowing whether it is raw or has been boiled. Accompanied by cheers, chants, and some boos, Asher and Maddox completed five rounds until Maddox smashed a raw egg.
“It was a thrilling way to welcome fall break for the students and celebrate their tremendous achievement on behalf of United Way of Anderson County,” the press release said. When the entire school system reaches their goal, Oak Ridge School Superintendent Bruce Borchers has agreed to participate in three rounds of Russian Egg Roulette at halftime during one of the ORHS basketball games. His opponents will be Jim Dodson, Keys Fillauer, and a teacher nominated by the school with highest donor participation.
Many more area businesses and agencies are kicking off campaigns this month, the press release said. There are a ton of ways for a small businesses, big businesses, and individuals to get involved! For more information please call (865) 483-8431 or visit uwayac.org.
This press release was submitted by Naomi Asher.
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