Wiregrass United Way volunteers package 50,000 meals for families in need during 2024 fundraising kickoff
Community members, leaders and volunteers from across the Wiregrass region, joined by special guest Miss Alabama Abbie Stockard, recently kicked off the 2024 Wiregrass United Way’s Pacesetter campaign. This event sets the pace for the United Way’s annual fundraising efforts from Aug. 1 to Sept. 18.
This year’s kickoff, held at the Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center, was a fun-filled morning that included a brief program to introduce the leaders of Wiregrass United Way (WUW) and its annual campaign, organizations supported by funds raised and the announcement of WUW’s fundraising goal for the annual campaign. It was attended by hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers and supporters, all unified by a common goal: to make a tangible difference in the lives of the Wiregrass community. The Pacesetters comprises 101 southeast Alabama businesses and organizations.
The kickoff ended with an hour-long volunteer project energized by a high-energy music playlist and ringing bells to announce the completion of packaged boxes. This year’s volunteers put together packages of macaroni and cheese and apple cinnamon oatmeal for families in need.
Trenton Dillard (left), Miss Alabama Abbie Stockard (middle) and Chere Johnson (right), Alabama Power’s Southeast Division area manager. (Teisha Wallace / Alabama News Center)
“Service is so important, and I think that we are all called here on this Earth to make a difference and use the abilities and the talents that God has equipped us with to serve others,” said Miss Alabama Abbie Stockard during the opening program. “And that is exactly what you all are doing here today.”
Wiregrass United Way was founded in 1938 with a vision of “empowering organizations to improve lives and provide lasting change for people in the Wiregrass.” The organization is set to support 40 health and human service agencies this year across its six-county region of Barbour, Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties. Almost all funds raised by Wiregrass United Way (99 cents of every dollar, to be exact) stay in the community.
Alabama Power became a major sponsor of the Pacesetters campaign in 2022, pledging more than $50,000 to the program over a three-year period. The 2024 kickoff marks the third and final year of Alabama Power’s dedicated sponsorship to this initiative, donating $20,000 this year.
“The Pacesetter kickoff is the event we utilize to motivate and inspire the companies that are about to start their United Way employee campaign to work hard and maximize their results,” stated Walter Hill, Wiregrass United Way CEO.
The partnership between Wiregrass United Way and Alabama Power has been instrumental in driving the success of the Pacesetter campaign during the past three years. As a result of Alabama Power’s support, Hill indicated that crowds attending the kickoff events have grown annually and the organization has seen an increase in its fundraising totals.
“Having a fun and exciting event that at the same time completes an impactful service project funded by Alabama Power has grown our event tremendously,” he said. “This event and Alabama Power’s support truly does set the pace for our entire campaign.”
Alabama Power also sees this partnership as a vital means of helping those in need across southeast Alabama.
“We are incredibly proud of the impact we’ve made together through the Wiregrass United Way Pacesetter campaign,” said Chere Johnson, Alabama Power Southeast Division area manager. “As we embark on this final year of our sponsorship, we remain committed to supporting Wiregrass United Way with other initiatives and ensuring that every family in our community has the resources they need to thrive.”
During the kickoff, it was announced that Wiregrass United Way aims to raise almost $3 million through this year’s annual campaign, the largest fundraising goal ever set by the organization. The funds will be allocated to various agencies and programs that provide critical services, such as food security, financial assistance, children’s services, and alcohol and substance abuse treatment. Those agencies include nonprofits like The Christian Mission Center, Mary Hill Family Service Center and three new United Way partner agencies: Time Youth Dothan, Chrysalis and Herring Houses of Dothan.
“We are in great hands today. And for the future coming up, Wiregrass United Way is going to continue to rock it out of the park,” stated Stevie Sauls, VP of member services and communication for Wiregrass Electric and this year’s overall United Way campaign chair, during his address at the kickoff. “Every day we get the opportunity to get up and serve our community, to serve one another, to serve those in need. And what a blessing that is.”
Through the kickoff volunteer project, 50,000 meals were packaged in less than an hour to help feed families in need thanks to the muscle of community volunteers from Pacesetters groups, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Alabama and Wiregrass, Toyota of Dothan, HudsonAlpha Wiregrass, Wiregrass Wealth Management, the city of Dothan, the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) and Alabama Power’s retiree volunteer group, Energizers. These meals will be distributed to the community by the Wiregrass Area Foodbank.
If WUW meets its fundraising goal this year, the Wiregrass Foundation will award an additional $400,000 challenge grant to the organization. Troy Fountain, president of the Wiregrass Foundation, also announced that the foundation would increase its donation to $450,000 ($1 for each of the 50,000 meals packaged during the volunteer project) if WUW reaches its annual goal.
The spirit of community and collaboration was palpable at the 2024 Pacesetter campaign kickoff. With continued support from the business community and the collective efforts of volunteers and donors, the Wiregrass United Way is poised to make a lasting impact on the lives of those in need and build a brighter future for the Wiregrass community.
To learn more about Wiregrass United Way’s 2024 campaign or to make a donation, visit www.wuw.org/give.