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From United Way of Central Alabama

BIRMINGHAM — United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) officially kicked off its annual fundraising campaign last Thursday by asking the crowd at Birmingham’s The Club, as well as the entire community, to “Be Somebody.” That’s the theme of this year’s campaign, which calls on anyone and everyone to be that person – that Somebody — who’s willing to step up and help others in need.

This year’s fundraising goal is $37.5 million. But the goal itself is merely a starting point, said Leroy Abrahams, Executive Vice President and Head of Community Engagement at Regions and Chair of UWCA’s campaign. “We’ve built this campaign knowing that there is more than $37.5 million worth of need out there. So, we’re going to take this goal and, hopefully, we’re going to blow it out of the water,” he said.

As is tradition, the Annual Campaign was preceded by the Pacesetter Campaign during the summer, which raised $11,086,198 toward the larger goal. The Pacesetter team included Loaned Executives from Regions Bank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and UWCA, and was led by Pacesetter Chair Mike Kemp, Founder of Kemp Management Solutions (KMS).

Abrahams urged community members to go beyond simply donating money this year. “We need your endorsement. We need your influence. We need your words,” he said. “We need you to understand that this is about our community and how we continue to be a great place to live and become an even better place to live.” He said that one measure of our community is how well we take care of the least among us.

Abrahams also noted that, under certain circumstances, anyone can fall into a difficult situation. He said, for example, that his own father, who passed away in 2021, had enlisted himself as a recipient of United Way Meals on Wheels to better enable his independence when he knew his health was failing.

“I’ve been giving to United Way for almost 40 years’ worth of my career, and I always give with the idea that I’m helping someone else,” Abrahams said. “And what we need to realize is that when we give to United Way, we’re making an investment, sometimes, in our very own futures.”

Throughout Central Alabama, United Way addresses a broad range of needs in terms of health and human services. This year’s campaign highlights the organization’s work in the areas of hunger relief, early childhood development and education and mental health.

Jodi Moates, who has for two years been Director of Operations at Easterseals of the Birmingham Area, a UWCA partner agency, and the mother of 12-year-old McKinley, also spoke at this year’s Campaign Kickoff event. McKinley was diagnosed with cerebral palsy just before she was one year old. Moates has personally watched her daughter develop with the help of agencies such as Easterseals. She said that it’s especially fulfilling to now work directly on programs that help children with disabilities in Central Alabama, including her own.

For the campaign event, United Way of Central Alabama would like to thank the following sponsors:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
• Regions Bank
• Coca-Cola UNITED
• AmFirst
• Mercedes Benz U.S. International
• Behavioral Health Systems

For more information about the many ways United Way works in Central Alabama, visit https://uwca.org/impact.