Katie Sloan is a member of The Impact Cup’s winning team and a Highmark emplyee. First issued in Pittsburgh Business Times, read Katie’s thoughts below.

It’s not very often you get to engineer, collaborate and pitch ideas that can create real change in the community. So when United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania was seeking participants for a new project to do just that… it was almost impossible to not raise my hand.

I quickly learned that some of the greatest opportunities can come from raising your hand.

United Way of SWPA’s Bridges Society hosted The Impact Cup, an eight-week challenge that convened teams of young and mid-career professionals to create a project generating greater awareness around United Way’s PA 211 Southwest with a total budget of $50,000.

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“What did you do this summer?” It’s a question we’ve all asked and answered many times in our lives. Thanks to United Way’s Welcome Back Summer initiative, which funds 29 summer camp programs across the region,  more than 6,000 kids across the region can say that they made new friends, practiced new skills and visited places they’d never been before. For Welcome Back Summer teen counselors, the summer was also about leadership and career development.

Tune in below as Mya and DJ from H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow and Cocoa from Urban Impact share their experiences, highlight what they’ve learned and explain how Welcome Back Summer helped them prepare for the future. (…)

by United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Social Media Committee

By Kathy Humphrey and Maris Dauer, Women’s Leadership Council Co-Chairs

United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) is comprised of more than 2,200 members who believe in the power of collaboration and philanthropy to help our most vulnerable neighbors. It’s an honorable mission. And, WLC is so much deeper than that.

This diverse and dynamic group – which is the third largest WLC in the country – offers the opportunity for members to build strong professional and personal bonds with like-minded women who care about making a difference in their community.

It doesn’t matter where they find themselves, WLC members are always driving conversations and engaging others to join them in making positive changes in across the region. From networking to attending exclusive events, professional development opportunities, planning committees and volunteering, WLC members go the extra mile to accomplish their goals. (…)

By Tammy Patterson, Vice President of Children and Family Services, Westmoreland Community Action

Whenever United Way asks Westmoreland Community Action (WCA) to collaborate, we always say, ‘yes.’ Because they never hesitate when there is a need to be met.

Together, we’ve equipped Westmoreland County kids with school supplies, kept families on the brink of eviction in their homes and even provided internet access to neighbors who couldn’t afford it during the pandemic. In the seven years I’ve been at WCA, I’ve witnessed thousands of lives changed through the programs supported by United Way.

One of the most impactful ways I’ve seen United Way help is through their efforts to combat food insecurity. No one should know what it feels like to be hungry and their Meal Kit Packing event helps bridge the gap for families who are working hard to feed their children.

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By Heather Tomko, Outreach Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh

In many ways, my life is like that of any other 30-something-year-old. I went to college, got a job and even went on to get my master’s degree. I spend my free time with my friends, my family and my dog; I love to see concerts and shows or lose myself in a book with a macchiato in hand.

But my life is also very different from many other 30-somethings in a big, important way. I have a disability – a genetic, neuromuscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). I’ve never been able to walk, and I got my first power wheelchair when I was two-years-old. I need help with lots of the day-to-day things that people tend to take for granted. I rely on caregivers – both paid and unpaid – to get in and out of bed, use the bathroom, get dressed…the list goes on and on. (…)

By Stacy Juchno, PNC Financial Services Group Executive Vice President and General Auditor, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania Board Vice Chair

As we close out Women’s History Month 2023, there’s no better time to pause and recognize the many vital roles women play in our society. We are daughters, sisters, friends, wives or mothers. And many of us also serve as volunteers, donors, managers, leaders or CEOs. In our homes and across the region, countless dynamic women are leading the way.

Regardless of how many roles we play as women, I think we can all agree that we’re busy. Balancing a career, friends, family, hobbies, exercise – there’s a lot on our plates. That’s why my first role with United Way was donor. From the beginning, it was clear that United Way is tuned into the needs of our community in a way I could never be on my own. Their team can chisel down and pinpoint the root cause of an issue, then rally the right people to create a long-term solution. All I needed to do was donate and I knew the good work was happening. (…)

By Ray Buehler, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania Board Chair

In all of the roles I’ve held and with all of the people I’ve worked with, there’s a common denominator – I call it The Care Factor – that sets someone apart from the pack. From an entry-level staffer to a board member, if you have an appreciation for what you’re trying to do and have it in your heart to care about the greater community… that’s a very unique thing.

I “grew up” in my career at  Schneider Downs, a Pittsburgh public accounting firm where the mission has always been to work together every day to help our clients, our employees and our communities be better. I became a shareholder in 1981 and President/CEO four years later. As I served in that leadership role over the next 35 years, I maintained a strong belief that if we were successful in our business (and we were), we had a social responsibility to give back. (…)

By Damon Bethea, Manager, Building for Success in School and Life, DEI Lead, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania

Like so many beloved changemakers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that kindness and a strong education are the foundation of a fair and equitable society. By expanding our knowledge, we can gain a better understanding of the world and people around us. Because of his own love of literacy, his commitment to education and his vision for the future, Dr. King was able to communicate in a way that broke down barriers. When he spoke, people heard and understood his message. (…)

By Christy Kennedy, Manager, Inside Sales Infrastructure, Kennametal and Kristie Meisinger, Executive Assistant, Kennametal

Every year as the holiday season approaches, our thoughts turn to family and friends and the many blessings that we share with them, but it is also the time that we look to our community to make an impact on the lives of those who are less fortunate. For the past 15 years, we have worked with United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania to provide Christmas gifts for local children in need – raising monetary contributions, shopping and wrapping gifts. Every year we continue to be impressed and moved by the overwhelming generosity of our Kennametal family in support of this event and we count on that support year after year. (…)

By Linda Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania

So much has changed since I started my career with United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania in 1998. As the years passed, our communities have grown and the needs of our region have shifted. But, as a member of our fundraising team, I can tell you that there’s one thing that has always remained the same: our desire to help.

In a world of crowd-sourced philanthropy, tens of thousands of donors trust United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania with their charitable contributions every year because we have a proven track record of fiscal responsibility and transparency. Whether a donor is giving $10,000 or $10, we want them to understand the impact of that gift and how United Way is able to leverage their dollars to do the most good.

With need on the rise and donors more engaged than ever before, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania has evolved to meet the challenge. Let’s take a look at how and why United Way continues to thrive in our region. (…)

Finding your passion and feeling a part of something is vital for fulfillment as you enter the workforce. For people across the region, participating in their workplace’s annual United Way campaign is a fun and rewarding way to connect with coworkers and neighbors by offering an opportunity to make a difference, engage in the community and build relationships with coworkers.

 Last year, generous donors helped United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania raise $43.4 million and workplace campaigns accounted for $35.3 million of that total. Nearly 700,000 lives were changed thanks to those donations made to the Impact Fund.

While the numbers are impressive, the passion behind them is even more incredible. Below, six of United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s very own employees share how workplace campaigns unite people in the office and their communities.

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