Media Releases

June 22, 2007

United Way Thanks Supporters For 2007 Campaign Success

Hundreds of people and businesses honored for their critical role in this year’s campaign

Rochester, NY – Nearly 400 United Way supporters gathered for breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Hotel this morning to celebrate the success of the 2007 United Way/Red Cross Campaign—which raised $33,502,018, just over the $33.5 million goal. The donations go to support local programs that help tens of thousands of people in our community throughout the year.

“I am so honored by what our community has accomplished,” said Thomas Judson, 2007 United Way/Red Cross Campaign Chair and President of The Pike Company. “It was a privilege to help lead this campaign, and it truly is amazing to witness the power of people coming together for one great reason—to make our community a better place for everyone who lives here.”

As part of this morning’s program, special awards were given to a number of businesses and their employees for their role in the 2007 campaign success. Among them, Bausch & Lomb, Eastman Kodak Company, University of Rochester (employees only), Xerox, and Wegmans—all of whom are part of United Way’s Million Dollar Club. Wegmans also received the Chairperson’s Award for going above and beyond, as their employee campaign—combined with the gift from the Wegmans Family Charitable Fund—brought the company’s total gift to more than $2.1 million.

The award for United Way Campaign Coordinator of the Year went to Robert Allen of the Rochester City School District, for his dedication to helping run the district’s campaign for 13 years. Small Business of the Year went to O’Connell Electric, where 60 employees raised more than $21,000. Laborers Local 435 was recognized for their outstanding union support of United Way, and Canandaigua National Bank received the President’s Award for showing their commitment to our community by way of a $100,000 small business challenge grant. This challenge, which was met, called for the bank to match of all first-time small- and mid-sized business contributions to United Way, dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000.

“Small and medium size businesses play a critical role in the growth of our region,” said Peter Carpino, President of United Way of Greater Rochester. “Having companies and their staff support our community through United Way makes a remarkable difference in our region – and truly changes so many lives.”
Please click here for a complete list of award winners.

United Way funds programs that fall within three primary donor interest areas: Student Readiness & Success, Strengthening People & Families, and Supporting People in Crisis. For more information on how your gift is put to work every day of the year, visit www.uwrochester.org.

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United Way’s mission is to magnify and focus the power of community resources to address our most pressing social needs.