April 2-8, 2006
United Way of Snohomish County launches
The Parent Place, new web site for parents, kids at
annual awards ceremony
Gubby Barlow, president and CEO of Premera Blue Cross, with the
President's Award for best annual campaign at United Way of
Snohomish County's awards celebration April 6.
From left: Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way of
America; Gubby Barlow; Mike Tibbits, executive VP of Evergreen
Bank and 2006 campaign chair; and Carl Zapora, president of
United Way of Snohomish County.
See our Photo Album for more shots from the event.
April 7, 2006
United Way of Snohomish County on Thursday, April 6 recognized donors and employers who ran outstanding fundraising campaigns to benefit kids, families and the whole community.
The awards ceremony and web site launch was held Thursday, April 6 at the Community Caring Celebration, held at the Everett Events Center to honor the people and employers who supported the annual fund-raising effort.
"Together, we raised the dollars... now we're making change" was this year's theme for the Community Caring Celebration.
"We wanted to focus on the big picture. The result of the campaign is not just a number. The real result is the lasting difference--the change--we are making in our community by donating to United Way," said H.R. Brereton "Gubby" Barlow, president and CEO of Premera and 2005 Campaign Chair.
In keeping with that focus and the National Week of the Young Child (April 2-8) the event also
marked the official launch of The Parent Place, a new online database of 1,000 local resources for parents at www.unitedwayparentplace.org.
"Whether you're looking for recreational activities, parenting classes, preschools, or library reading programs for toddlers, The Parent Place can help you find it simply by typing in your zip code and area of interest," said Kristi Reardon, manager of United Way's Success By 6 initiative for early childhood development.
Sponsored by Media Partner of the Year winner, Comcast, The Parent Place is accessible to the public online or by calling 2-1-1.
"We invest in families and education because we view it as an investment in our community and in our future," said Steve Kipp, Vice President of Communications for Comcast's Washington market. "We know an investment early in a child's life pays off with better graduation rates and a stronger workforce. Sponsoring The Parent Place is not only good for children--it's good for all of us."
Premera Blue Cross and The Housing Authority of Snohomish County were recognized by United Way president Carl Zapora with President's Awards for running the two most outstanding workplace campaigns.
Premera nearly doubled their giving, raising a total of $416,653--to make it the second largest campaign in the history of United Way of Snohomish County. The Housing Authority raised $7,300, with one-third of employees giving $500 or more.
The Chair Challenge Award, a new award instituted by Barlow, recognized leadership by top management. Winners were Dr. Bill Mester, Superintendent of Snohomish School District, and Carol Nelson, CEO of Cascade Bank. Both campaigns increased their total giving by 72%.
A special, one-time Partnership Matters award was presented by Brian Gallagher, president of United Way of America, to the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound (ECF), United Way of Snohomish County and Volunteers of America Western Washington (VOA). As chair of the board of Washington Information Network 2-1-1, Dennis Smith, executive vice president of United Way, led the effort to bring 2-1-1 service to Washington. Boeing ECF gave $311,000--its largest grant ever--to help launch the phone service, and VOA is the partner with United Way in the local North Sound 2-1-1 call center.
In keeping with the theme of "making change," Barlow closed the ceremony by "passing the buck" to Mike Tibbits inside a bag of coins. Tibbits, executive vice president of Evergreen Bank, will serve as 2006 Campaign Chairman.
See a list of our 2005 Community Caring Campaign award winners.
Related Links
Contact
Deborah Squires
Vice President
Impact, Marketing
& Communications
425.921.3447