IBEW Local Union 627 Acknowledged by United Way, St. Lucie County Florida

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Guest columnist: St. Lucie can do what matters most
By Jocelyn Lane
May 16, 2004

As chairperson of St. Lucie County's 2003-04 United Way Campaign, I am proud to announce that this year we raised the most dollars ever for a campaign and far exceeded our goal! We raised over $1,650,000 to help support various United Way agencies and programs within our community that provide assistance to our children, to the elderly, to the needy, to the ill ... to those who need it most.

When we began the campaign, the goal was the highest we had ever set, at $1,610,000. However, those of us working on the campaign knew that the needs of the community were great. We also that the people who live and work here are very caring and generous.

The loaned executives were central to the success of the campaign. Our own state Senator Ken Pruitt helped with recruitment, and we so appreciate his efforts and those of our 21 loaned executives that were so critical to this year's success. In addition to the loaned executives, our campaign cabinet worked diligently to assure a successful campaign result and the staff of many United Way agencies not only assisted with the campaign presentations to various businesses, but contributed financially.

I'd like to give a very special thank you to Sharon Kelly-Brown of Sharon Kelly Realty for allowing us to roast her at our annual roast auction. Not only was she a gracious "roastee", she contributed an enormous amount of her own time into promoting the event. This year's roast auction raised over $18,000. Paul Hiott/St. Lucie County administration also deserves special recognition for his tireless efforts in support of United Way. This year, Paul raised over $32,000 as chair of the United Way agency campaigns.

Another special thank you goes to Jane Rowley/CORE Communities for her tremendous help with the Port St. Lucie Fall Festival, benefiting both the United Way and the Port St. Lucie Lions Club. This event raised over $28,000 for the organizations to split.

Roger Thomas, the Florida Power & Light volunteers and IBEW Local 627 union, also deserves a pat on the back for helping us set up the many goal thermometers around town. This was a real labor and time intensive project.

The board of the United Way has been wonderful with their constant support of the campaign this year. I'd like to extend a special thank you to each one of them.

There are so many companies who stepped up to the plate in a "big" way this year, but a few particularly stood out. I would like to especially recognize: Florida Power & Light and the IBEW Local 627; Publix Supermarkets; Lawnwood Regional Medical Center; Harbor Federal; Tropicana; St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office; Winn Dixie; Martin Memorial Health Systems; New Horizons; the Tribune; and QVC St. Lucie.

Also, several companies regularly step up and sponsor the campaign right at the beginning. This allows us the "front money" to do our kickoff, purchase the thermometer signs and start the campaign meetings. This is integral to getting us started. This year's sponsors included: Bank of America; Berger, Toombs, Elam & Frank; CORE Communities; First Peoples Bank; First National Bank; Florida Power & Light; Fogal, Lynch, Johnson & Long; Friendly's of St. Lucie West; Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson & Sperando; Harbor Federal; Lawnwood Regional Medical Center; Louden Bonded Pools; Riverside National Bank; Richard K. Davis Construction; St. Lucie Medical Center, and Sharon Kelly Realty.

By far, our most extensive recognition goes to our first ever Circle of Honor awardees. This is a new program that recognizes companies that truly improve lives in our community. The honor is designed not only to recognize dollar contributions, but also the quality of the campaign, the employee support specific to United Way, percent of participation, and non financial contributions. This year, 43 organizations received this special honor.

And, finally, I want to save the best for last by thanking the staff of the United Way for their tremendous support and hard work throughout this campaign. Never have I worked with a finer group of individuals.

So, I thank everyone who contributed to this campaign whether it was as a volunteer or as a giver to the campaign. We can truly accomplish what matters most for the people who live, work and play here in our community.