Contact Person:
Dennis Carman, President & CEO
United Way of Greater Plymouth County
934 West Chestnut Street
Brockton, MA 02301
508 583-6306 ext. 205
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6/3/22
United Way Toasts Our Community and Celebrates its 100th Annual Meeting
John Burke, Courtney Doyle, and John Doyle raise their commemorative United Way 100th Anniversary glasses for the community toast
250 guests gather for United Way of Greater Plymouth County’s 100th Annual Meeting at Bridgewater State University
Dennis Carman, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Plymouth County presents Shanteria Crawford with the 2022 Profile in Courage Award
Laura Murphy (right), Director of Resource Development of United Way of Greater Plymouth County present Jim Smith (left) and Ed Sugrue (middle) of Rockland Trust with a Circle of Caring Award
Dennis Carman, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Plymouth County presents Jim Blake, CEO of HarborOne Bank with a Lifetime Community Impact Award
BRIDGEWATER- On June 1st, over 250 guests gathered for United Way of Greater Plymouth County’s 100th Annual Meeting & Awards Celebration at Bridgewater State University. The premiere sponsor was UPS. Additional LIVE UNITED sponsors were Bluestone Bank, Good Samaritan Medical Center, HarborOne Bank, Lynch & Lynch, National Grid, Rockland Trust, and Bridgewater State University.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating 100 years caring for our communities in 2022!” Dennis Carman, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Plymouth County said. “It means a great deal to us to get to celebrate the outstanding organizations and companies in our community in our 100th year of uniting people, ideas, and resources to improve the lives of people to build a stronger community. We look forward to continuing to work together with our partners to tackle our community’s unmet needs. Here’s to the next 100 years!”
The event’s keynote address was provided in a question-and-answer format with Angela Williams, President & CEO of United Way Worldwide. She spoke of her confidence in United Way’s collective future and advised the audience is to be “future forward thinkers” by asking ourselves “How can we be architects of the future of our community? Are we looking at how we can shape our community not just a year from now…but thirty years from now?”
United Way’s 100th Annual Meeting was also a celebration of this year’s United Way campaign to raise funds for urgent local needs. National Grid received the Circle of Caring Chairman’s Award for its success in making a significant contribution to the LIVE UNITED Fund, undesignated funds given to our local United Way so that volunteers from our community can distribute them to meet the most critical needs.
Among other Circle of Caring Awardees were Rockland Trust for largest employee campaign, HarborOne Bank for largest corporate gift, Father Bills & MainSpring for best non-profit campaign, and McGovern Automotive Group for Corporate Champion for Change for its significant contributions to United Way’s Warmer Winters coat initiative and dedication to the local community.
Amy Cameron Bennett of the Brockton Visiting Nurse Association and Kathy Baldwin of the Arc of Plymouth & Upper Cape Cod received awards in recognition of their significant contributions to the United Way campaign at their respective organizations.
Three Community Impact Awards in Health were given to John Messia of the Brockton Mayor’s Office Health Equity Taskforce, Barbara Cotton of the American Red Cross of Southeastern MA, and Sheila Flaherty of the Plymouth Area National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for the many positive ways in which they make a difference for our neighbors during an especially challenging time.
In recognition of their extensive volunteering for United Way and for the community, Courtney and John Doyle were awarded with the Community Spirit Award for 2022.
James W. Blake, CEO of HarborOne Bank since 1995 received a Lifetime Community Impact Award.
The Profile in Courage Award was given to Shanteria Crawford, an individual served by United Way partner School on Wheels, in recognition of her demonstrated courage in overcoming life’s difficulties by utilizing area services funded by United Way of Greater Plymouth County. School on Wheels of Massachusetts (SOWMA) offers programs that provide academic support for students impacted by homelessness within our communities. Shanteria came to School on Wheels seven years ago in dire straits. She was paired with her mentor and has since overcome unspeakable obstacles and soared. She says that the pandemic helped her flourish. While battling health issues, Shanteria was able to maintain her studies remotely, navigate a virtual internship with SOWMA, become Chair of the Youth Forum at Raising Multicultural Kids, and complete a Fellowship at the BSU Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice. The Black Lives Matter movement inspired her to use her story and voice to advocate for racial justice. She is also a member of the Greater Boston Association of Black Social Workers. After graduating last year from Bridgewater State University, Shanteria is now part of the School on Wheels family, working with students as a Site Coordinator.
Elaine Reiser, United Way Board Member and retired Director of BAMSI’s Helpline led a special toast in celebration of United Way’s 100th year of service and the audience celebrated with 100th anniversary commemorative glasses.
Marie Kelly, United Way Board Member and Director of Corporate, Foundation & Donor Relations at Stonehill College led a live text to give campaign during the event which raised over $2,000 for needed baby formula and related items for United Way’s Family Center.
To see the event gallery of photos, please visit www.facebook.com/uwgpc. To learn more about how you can help celebrate United Way’s 100th year and view testimonials from distinguished community stakeholders, visit www.uwgpc.org/100.
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About United Way of Greater Plymouth County
Established in 1922, United Way of Greater Plymouth County’s mission is “We unite people, ideas and resources to improve the lives of people in Greater Plymouth County to build a stronger community.” United Way envisions a “a safe, healthy, diverse and welcoming community where everyone’s needs are met equitably, respectfully and compassionately” by focusing its resources on addressing the vital and interconnected needs of education, health, and financial stability. United Way serves the communities of southeastern Massachusetts, including the city of Brockton and the towns of Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marshfield, Middleboro, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rockland, Stoughton, West Bridgewater, and Whitman