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Heart of Florida United Way celebrated the end of the 2015-2016 campaign last night at the Orlando Citrus Bowl. With hundreds in attendance, including members of the Orlando City SC, Campaign Chair Harold Mills of ZeroChaos announced that $18,611,050 was raised. That’s an increase of over $100,000 from last year’s campaign.
Leading workplace giving were Walt Disney World, Publix Supermarkets, Inc. and Lockheed Martin, which were all honored as “Million Dollar Champions”. With its “Small World”-themed company campaign, Walt Disney World brought in over $3.6 million from contributions from cast members and corporate donations, continuing to hold the distinction of being United Way’s top contributor for the past 40 years. Publix Supermarkets made a significant increase from last year, raising a $3.55 million. Lockheed Martin raised over $1 million.
We are grateful for the businesses, organizations and individuals who show their commitment and generosity to United Way’s programs and services year after year,” said Harold Mills. “The funds raised over the past eight months will be invested in critical programs aimed at education, income, health and basic needs – programs that will help improve the lives of residents in our own community.”
Hundreds of companies and organizations of every size across Central Florida ran workplace campaigns and hosted fundraising events to support United Way. Other organizations and individuals recognized for their outstanding efforts include:
More than 400 Central Florida businesses organized workplace campaigns and fundraising events to benefit United Way. Individuals and companies were recognized for their exemplary efforts in this year’s campaign. Specific company and individual recognitions included:
- The “Chairman’s Award” was presented to Lockheed Martin Corporation, in recognition of their unwavering support in launching Mission United, a United Way program that supports the veterans and their families reintegrate into civilian life. In addition to raising $1 million, Lockheed Martin executives and employees helped champion Mission United from inception to implementation.
- The “Phenomenal Executive Champion” was presented to Rich Sloane, Director for Community Relations with University of Central Florida, for using best practices to achieve a 20% campaign increase and position UCF as a community partner.
- The “Spirit Award” was presented to Red Lobster, who raised more than $76,000 as part of their first campaign, which focused on company culture and employee engagement.
- The “Exceptional Employee Campaign Manager” was awarded to Jacqueline Torbert, Lavon Williams and Jon Weiss with Orange County Government, for rallying their team to raise more than $500,000, yielding a 15% increase over previous years.
Top campaign partners, each raising $300,000 or more, included Orange County Government, SunTrust Bank of Central Florida, Florida Hospital, UPS Florida, City of Orlando, Tupperware Brands Corporation, AT&T, and Wells Fargo.
Major Partners, each raising more than $100,000, included Enterprise Holdings, CNL Financial Group, Inc., Darden Restaurants, Inc., OUC – The Reliable One, Bank of America, Adventist Health System, University of Central Florida, Duke Energy, Orlando Health, CenturyLink, FedEx Corporation, Siemens Energy, Inc., ZeroChaos, Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A.
We thank everyone who participated for their continued support and look forward to the 2016-2017 campaign!
Click here to view photos from the event.
