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 united way of massachusetts bay and merrimack valley
May 4, 2006

United Way honors local corporate, community partnerships National United Way president Brian Gallagher joins celebration

BOSTON – Celebrating the civic leadership that is alive in our community, United Way recently honored leading corporate and community partners that are helping to make the Greater Boston metropolitan region the best place in the country for children. Brian Gallagher, United Way of America President and Chief Executive Officer, joined Milton J. Little, Jr., president and CEO of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and eight other United Way presidents to celebrate the region’s generosity and to present key corporate and community leaders with special awards.

“We salute the people and partnerships that have inspired our community during the past year,” said UWMB’s Milton J. Little, Jr. “These awards celebrate the community results we can achieve when our society’s most powerful forces join to work for a common goal.” United Way of Massachusetts Bay also announced it raised a projected $46 million dollars last year through its valuable corporate and civic collaborations.

Gallagher, who became president and chief executive officer of United Way of America in 2002, focused on the challenges and rewards of leading more than 1,300 United Way organizations across the country through a major transformation. Gallagher believes that the true measure of success for United Way and other philanthropic organizations is bottom-line results: the lives that are changed and the communities that are shaped. This represents a dynamic shift from the United Way recognized for decades as the nation’s premier fundraiser and distributor.

Locally, United Way of Massachusetts Bay has changed its focus from being an “all-things-to-all-people” umbrella fundraiser to an organization whose investments are aimed at making the Greater Boston metropolitan region the best place in the country for children. What’s its new measure of success? The community results achieved through its investment portfolio of the best-in-class human service organizations in the region.

At a reception that drew over 300 people, United Way presented nearly 80 awards to companies, state officials and individuals who are leading a commitment to create positive social change within our communities. The top awards include:

  • The first Inspirational Philanthropist Award to Paul and Sandy Edgerley for their efforts to address teen violence in Boston;
  • State Street Corporation , United Way of Massachusetts Bay’s largest corporate contributor for more than 10 years, was honored with a Leadership Campaign Award;
  • Citizens Bank of Massachusetts received United Way of Massachusetts Bay’s Campaign of the Year Award;
  • Sovereign Bank received United Ways of New England’s top honor – the Chairman’s Cup Award – for its exceptional commitment to United Way;
  • State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez was honored with the 2005 Legislative Leadership Award for his successful efforts to secure state funding for United Way’s Latino After-School Initiative;
  • Commissioner John Wagner, of the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, received United Way’s 2005 Executive Leadership Award for his contributions to United Way’s efforts to help low-income working families establish Individual Development Accounts and get on the path to economic self-sufficiency;
  • Robert Beal was named United Way’s 2005 Volunteer of the Year;
  • Michael Mooney , Managing Partner of Nutter, McLennan and Fish and David A. Pace, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Reebok International Inc. were recognized for their leadership in the legal industry, which raised more than $850,000 for UWMB last year;
  • Deloitte and Touche USA received a Founders Award for its support of United Way’s Today’s Girls…Tomorrow’s Leaders initiative, which helps create awareness of and support for girls programming;
  • Liberty Mutual received United Way’s Community Impact Award, recognizing its investments in the community that go beyond its financial contributions;
  • Bill Lorenz of Bank of America was honored with United Way’s Campaign Innovation Award for his unique approach to engaging the community in United Way’s work;
  • Valora Washington of Lesley University and the Schott Foundation Fellowship in Early Care and Education received the 2005 Community Impact Award for her leadership addressing the state’s need to adopt a workforce development plan for the early childhood educators field;
  • Kevin Fitzgerald, Sergeant of Arms at the Massachusetts State House received the 2005 Champion Award for informing and helping to develop United Way’s youth impact strategy;
  • Jim Fowler and Jim Michaud of Shaw’s Supermarkets/Star Market were honored jointly with United Way’s Employee Campaign Manager of the Year award;
  • Penny Warfield of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr received a Lifetime Achievement award for championing United Way for more than 20 years; and
  • Paul Vaitkus of NSTAR was honored for his time, efforts and enthusiasm and inspiring NSTAR to increase their United Way contributions by more than 24 percent over last year.