Meeting with the Docs Who Rock planning committee today. We're working hard to put on another great show this year. http://ow.ly/b68sH

Want to: Support your community ~ play Cornhole ~ Win $100? Find out how: http://ow.ly/aYZys

Thanks Dr. Ned Hill for his plug for Ride UNITED during the Roundtable event today. If you haven't signed up yet, why not? http://ow.ly/aYYIw

United Way seeks a exceptional CFO and IT professional. Read about the requirements and apply here: http://ow.ly/aQysR

Tomorrow is Project Homeless Connect, a 1-day, 1-stop event to provide services for people experiencing homelessness http://ow.ly/aKFbA

Thanks to the great students at UAkron's Z-TV for their coverage of our Volunteer Celebration. View their great work here http://ow.ly/aETrg

United Way of Summit County elected new Directors & Officers. Read about these great new leaders http://ow.ly/aDymf

Thanks to everyone who celebrated with United Way at our Annual Meeting yesterday. Summit Co. knows how to LIVE UNITED http://ow.ly/awStA

I'm having lunch tomorrow with 440+ of my closest friends at United Way's Annual Meeting. I hope you're among them. LIVE UNITED

This is National Volunteer Week. Volunteers do so much to make our community a better place for all. If you're seek the right opportunity, contact the Volunteer Center, and they'll match your skills and interests with the right non-profit. Volunteers show us all how to LIVE UNITED. http://ow.ly/akE8t

Great to hear that A. Schulman is staying in Fairlawn. It's a great company for Summit County and for United Way. They are a great example of what it means to LIVE UNITED. http://ow.ly/acTZG

Grateful for the media coverage of our good news on AkronNewsNow http://ow.ly/a3yn6 & Ohio.com http://ow.ly/a3ywA WNIR http://ow.ly/a3yH9

Thanks to our generous donors, United Way of Summit County exceeded our aggressive campaign goal ~ by more than $100K! Our wonderful community again shows its generous nature. Thank you all! http://ow.ly/a2YVb

UNITED WAY OF SUMMIT COUTY EXCEEDS CAMPAIGN GOAL

             The 2011-12 United Way/Red Cross Campaign in Summit County has been completed, and campaign staff and volunteers are pleased to report that the generous people of our community have exceed the aggressive goal of $11,250,000 set last summer.


Campaign Chair Brian Moore

Volunteer Campaign Chair Brian Moore, a partner in the law firm Roetzel & Andress, has announced that the final campaign total raised is $11,350,225.

“We are so grateful to all the donors who made surpassing our goal possible,” said Moore.  “It confirms that the heart and soul of our community are second to none.  What a privilege it’s been to be a part of the United Way team for this campaign.”

Throughout the next ten years, United Way will move toward a more focused approach to addressing community-level issues, by showing measurable progress in the areas of education, income and health, the building blocks for a good life.

United Way of Summit County Senior Vice President Katie S. Rennard said, “The long-term and short-term results of our United Way campaigns here in Summit County exceed the results of the other big cities in Ohio. Between 2000 and 2010, our campaigns were up 7.4%, while the other five big cities in the state were all down for the same time frame. And our growth from 2010 to 2011 was another 1.5%.  I believe that it’s also telling to note that the 183 members of the United Way of Summit County Tocqueville Society – denoting those who contribute $10,000 or more annually – far surpasses the Tocqueville membership in similar-sized Ohio communities.

“Summit County’s two largest United Way corporate campaigns were organized and run by The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company with $1.37 million and FirstEnergy Corp. with $1.18 million.  These companies are critical to the campaign’s success in Summit County. Goodyear’s increase - $82,928 - was the largest year-over-year increase in the entire campaign. GOJO Industries, Inc., The University of Akron, Myers Industries, Inc., State & Federal Communications, Inc., and Roetzel & Andress are just some of the 240 organizations that experienced increased giving this year,” Rennard continued.

“Another highlight of the successful campaign was the contributions from new campaigns totaling more than $88,000. Among the largest new campaigns were the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Austen Bioinnovation Institute, CB Richard Ellis, and a generous first-time gift from the Barberton Community Foundation.”

Total dollars allocated and designated to programs and agencies in Summit County will be announced on April 20, 2012.

United Way of Summit County encourages everyone to LIVE UNITED. Each of us has the power to improve lives and advance the common good when we give, advocate and volunteer. For more information on how to give now, on programs and services in our community, or to volunteer, call your United Way of Summit County at (330) 762-7601, explore our website at www.uwsummit.org, or visit our offices at 90 N. Prospect St., Akron, Ohio.

We had the first Campaign Cabinet meeting of 2012 this morning. We're off to a great start with our Chair Nick Browning and all our great volunteers!

These are days I love ~ the office busy with meetings, volunteers & agency representatives making decisions, improving lives, LIVING UNITED

RSVP to United Way's Annual Meeting now. http://ow.ly/9Q09L The event will be Wed April 25 at JSKnight Center. Hope to see you there.

Condolences to the family of United Way legend Ray Unk. His lifetime of compassion for others will long be remembered. http://ow.ly/9KqDb

Does 'Moneyball' offer lessons for non-profits on radical change necessary to thrive? Are we asking 'what works better?' http://ow.ly/9FLiU

Beacon Journal's series on poverty puts a face on the problem. Bridges Out of Poverty is helping people make the change. http://ow.ly/9B6pZ