I remember seeing the ad last summer for the Campaign Associate Program. United Way of Forsyth County was looking for applicants who were enthusiastic (no problem with that!), organized (oh, yes, I am a champion list maker), and good at presenting to groups of all sizes (I admit I am a talker!). What really caught my eye was the language around “making a difference in your community”. That did it. I was hooked. I knew then that I wanted to join United Way as a Campaign Associate.
Five of us started on August 24. We were all different…just like our community. Men and women, from 20 something to mid 60s, with all sorts of varied backgrounds…banking, healthcare, merchandising and military.
From day one our goal was to help United Way of Forsyth County have a successful 2015 Campaign! We focused on the companies that were assigned to us. We spread out over the county meeting our Champions (the liaisons at those companies), arranging employee meetings, delivering campaign materials. Then the campaign kicked off and our days were filled with picking up Krispy Kreme donuts, holding employee meetings to talk about United Way, and getting to know the wonderful people at our companies. At each meeting, we shared information about our community’s issues and what is being done by United Way and others to solve them. And we always let our companies and their employees know the impact their dollars make in our community.
Besides working to make a difference in our community and making new friends, the Campaign Associate Program has allowed us to visit companies in Winston Salem/Forsyth County that we would not have had an opportunity to get to know otherwise. What a delight it has been to meet other citizens of Forsyth County that want to Live United!
Along the way, our group became a team. We shared one office, so every day (at some point) our paths would cross and we would share our stories, offer support when needed, learn from each other and pitch in to help each other in any way we could. We also had fun…bowling with the Campaign Cabinet Chairs, using the photo booth at our companies, helping at Moonlight Madness, taking part in a Day of Caring at the Second Harvest Food Bank, and celebrating Halloween with all of the United Way staff.
As our twelve weeks as Campaign Associates come to an end, we look back at a great experience, new friends, a better understanding of Living United, and the hope that we have made a difference in this place we call home.
-Julee Rose, 2015 Campaign Associate