Headlines

• Catalyst 360° Pals Up With Pals for Life and United Way!
• FMC Corporation Takes A Walk Down Ashburn Alley
• Penn Mutual Goes Green for a Fundraiser
• A United Labor of Health & Caring
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Campaign’s
  Sweet Success
• ACE Group Scoops Extraordinaire!

Catalyst 360° Pals Up With
Pals for Life and United Way!

A few months ago, Linda Hibbert, Vice President of Client Services and new United Way Employee Campaign Chair at Catalyst 360° made a commitment while discussing plans for her company's upcoming United Way Campaign. "We can do better. I want to raise more money than we did last year." So Linda and her "ambassadors" on the Campaign Committee put their heads together to determine the best way to reach that goal.

After some deliberation, they ended up with a few outstanding ideas. One impactful idea was to have various non-profit agencies visit the Catalyst 360° site twice weekly throughout the duration of its three-week campaign. Linda and the ambassadors felt that by demonstrating to their peers where and how their United Way dollars are put to use, the importance of being a part of the LIVE UNITED movement would be more effectively demonstrated.

One organization that attracted a lot of attention was Pals for Life, a non-profit organization that provides companion animal programs to the elderly, the handicapped, and the mentally impaired. The organization has been providing pet visitation and humane education programs since 1985, and it aims to have pets and people help each other to live happier and healthier lives. Paula M. Kielich, President and Founder of Pals for Life, brought an adorable bunny, a friendly Viszla, and an orange Calico along with her to show Catalyst 360° employees the benefits that animals can bring to a person's life.

Thanks to their inspired and creative planning, the Catalyst 360° Campaign Committee met its goal by raising $30,320! This represents almost a $3,000 or 11% increase over last year!! Thank you for a fantastic fundraising effort!

Taffy the rabbit, and Chutney the cat, who has excellent taste in literature, and a friendly pup named Shana who loves to have her ears scratched, visited Catalyst 360° on behalf of the non-profit agency Pals for Life as part of the company’s plan to show employees their United Way Campaign dollars at work.

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FMC Corporation Takes A Walk Down Ashburn Alley

FMC Corporation employees took a trip down Ashburn Alley at their exciting 2009 United Way Campaign kick-off in the atrium of the Mellon Bank Center- featuring a “baseball playoffs” theme. Numerous FMC leadership speakers, a guest from Maternity Care Coalition, and a Ryan Howard baseball jersey as the door prize rounded out the event!

The company kicked off their Leadership Campaign one week earlier with a breakfast at The Pyramid Club, 52 floors high above Center City in the Mellon Bank Center. Jill Michal, President and CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, was a guest speaker at the event.

FMC set aggressive goals for their United Way campaign, including a total contribution of $500,000, 100% leadership participation, general campaign participation over 95%, and a 10% increase in the average contribution.

In addition, Bill Walter, CEO, announced that he would match fifty cents on the dollar for incremental dollars, 2009 vs. 2008, for the Leadership Group! The results - FMC raised $526,251 with campaign participation at 96.1%!

FMC United Way Campaign Committee (from left to right): Bruce Lerner (Campaign Co-Chair), Terri Klaiss (Campaign Support), Antoinette O'Neill (Campaign Support), Ted Butz (Campaign Co-Chair), and Carole Murray (Campaign Support)

Julia Dobson (FMC's IT Department - Door Prize Winner)

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Penn Mutual Goes Green for a Fundraiser

Penn Mutual, which recently completed its 2009 United Way Campaign, held a plant sale as one of its special event fundraisers. Here, volunteers Karlene Teichmann and Rob Bonsall sorted plants for pick up by employees who had pre-ordered them through the fundraiser program.

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A United Labor of Health & Caring

George Richezza, President of Local 1201, which represents the custodians and cleaners in the School District of Philadelphia, hosted the Local 1201 Health & Welfare Funds' Sixteenth Annual 1201 Health Fair September 19th for over 600 union members.

Members and their dependents could avail themselves of blood pressure testing, glucose testing for diabetes, cholesterol screenings, and orthotic testing - all free of charge. There were celebrity guests including Sesame Street Characters, clowns, magicians, face painters, caricaturists, music, and entertainment.

"This is one of the many great benefits provided by our Union Family," Janet H. Ryder, Vice President for Labor Participation for United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO stated. "Everyone always has a great time, particularly the kids who have so much fun."

A healthy lunch and refreshments were provided along with give-a-ways at the door for the adults and tons of prizes for the children.

Representatives from the School District of Philadelphia's Benefits and Health Services Department, along with healthcare associates from Independence Blue Cross, Aetna, Express Scripts, Vision Dental, Eldercare, UWSEPA, and other organizations staffed information tables, and were available to assist the members and answer questions.

George Richezza, President of Local 1201, and Jack McGreevey, Education Division, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Campaign’s Sweet Success

Jane Pepper is a beloved institution as CEO of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the annual Philadelphia International Flower Show. So when she announced that she planned to retire after the 2010 Flower Show, all of her staff members decided that they wanted to do something special to celebrate Jane and her leadership in the community over the past 30 years. So at the Society's 2009 United Way Campaign kick-off, Employee Campaign Chairs Krista Raneri-Cheeseman and Marcus Johnson presented a unique opportunity to their peers; they challenged everyone to increase their donations to the campaign as a way to honor Jane's dedication and enthusiasm, as well as her years of leadership and service to the community.

At the close of the campaign, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society had raised $19,200, representing a 9% increase over their campaign total last year! Given the current state of the economy, raising additional funds presented a challenge to the Employee Campaign Chairs. However Krista and Marcus rose to the occasion, and they worked especially hard this year to come up with new special events specifically designed to encourage participation.

In an appeal to everyone's sweet-tooth, each Friday, Marcus and Krista baked home-made cookies and 'magically' piped the smell throughout the whole building. Those who turned in their pledge form that week received a free cookie, and the delicious baked goods were also available for $1. On the final day of the campaign, employees were charged $5 to decorate caramel apples. What an excellent and scrumptious way to have fun and LIVE UNITED.

From left to right: Jane Carroll, Publications Project Manager; Regina Cobbs, Executive Assistant Philadelphia Green; Marcus Johnson, PLDM Design Coordinator; Krista Raneri-Cheeseman, Sr. Administrative Assistant

From left to right: Krista Raneri-Cheeseman, Sr. Administrative Assistant; Allison Burkhart, Membership Manager; Jane Pepper, President; Shawn Kilgallon, VL Sr. Project Coordinator; Daniel Moise, Associate Editor

Congratulations to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society on their fantastic campaign results and to Jane Pepper for all of her years of service and leadership in the community, and best wishes on her retirement!

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ACE Group Scoops Extraordinaire!

ACE Group employees recently participated in a United Way Soda Float & Silent Auction Kick-off Event at ACE’s U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia. ACE executives Bruce Kessler, EVP, Underwriting, and David Wisniewski, SVP, Human Resources, served as “celebrity” scoopers, assisted by Nancy Corley, of ACE Human Resources. With the generous support of ACE employees, a total of $3,440 was raised, and was donated to the United Way of Southeastern PA, as part of ACE’s campaign. The ACE “Celebrity Scoopers” were: Greg Pennell, Jamie English, Joe Vasquez, Suresh Krishnan, and Bill Hurd. Campaign Floor Leaders who also served were: Nancy Corley, Evelyn Leone, Sandra DeKarski, Bridget Neidhart, Bill Wasserman, Alicia Young, and Carrie Higgins.

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Give.

When you invest in the United Way Community Impact Fund, you maximize the only return on your charitable dollar that matters - results.

The United Way Community Impact Fund is the backbone of a strategy for change in our region that is preparing children to achieve in school and life, building self sufficiency for adults and families, and keeping seniors healthy and safe at home. Our unparalleled expertise; network of relationships in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors; and incorporation of both innovation and the lessons of experience into our approach make the United Way Community Impact Fund the most effective means of making a difference in the community.

Learn more

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Advocate.

Anyone can champion the cause. Whether you're speaking out to improve education, income and health, reaching out to members of Congress, or wearing the LIVE UNITED shirt to show your support, you can help inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. So go ahead and advocate in a LIVE UNITED world. Do it in public. Be visible. Be loud.

Learn more

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Volunteer.

Volunteering is one of the best ways to contribute to the overall well-being of our region. You have the chance to learn new skills, make friends, and, most importantly, to share your experience and your willingness to help with those who need it the most.

Volunteering is open to any individual or group who are willing to roll up their sleeves to help make the Southeastern Pennsylvania a better place for everyone to live. To become involved, visit United Way's VolunteerMatch website, or call 215-665-2474.

Learn more

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For more information on these stories go to
www.LIVEUNITEDsepa.org

For all past issues of this publication,
please visit the
2009 United Way Campaign
Good News Archives

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2009 Campaign Cabinet Members

Campaign Chair

Rosemary Turner
Vice President
& Chief Operating Officer
UPS – Metro Philadelphia District

Campaign Vice Chair

Joseph A. Frick
President and CEO
Independence Blue Cross

Renee Amoore
President
The Amoore Group, Inc.

Mary Stengel Austen
President and CEO
Tierney Communications

Bruce C. Belzak
Managing Director
Marsh USA, Inc.

Dennis P. Bianchi
General Manager and President
NBC-10, WCAU

David R. Binswanger
President
Binswanger

Oray B. Boston
General Manager
Johnson & Johnson
Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Company

Yvette D. Bright
Senior Vice President
& Chief Administrative Officer
Independence Blue Cross

Christopher L. Bruner
Office Managing Partner
Ernst & Young LLP

Karen Dougherty Buchholz
Vice President, Administration
Comcast Corporation

Mortimer J. Buckley
Managing Director,
Retail Investor Group
Vanguard

Michael J. Buongiorno
Executive Vice President
& Chief Financial Officer
Main Line Health

Christopher Butler
EVP & Chief Operating Officer
Independence Blue Cross

Julie Coker
General Manager
Hyatt Regency Philadelphia
at Penn's Landing

Melissa Coopersmith
Chief of Staff
Temple University

J. Gordon Cooney Jr., Esq.
Managing Partner - Philadelphia
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Terry D'Alessandro
Corporate Volunteer

James F. Devine
President and CEO
MidAtlantic Employers' Association

Angela Dowd-Burton
Corporate Volunteer

Jeffrey E. Dowds
Principal, Direct Investor Systems
Vanguard

Patrick J. Eiding
President
Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO

Orlando C. Esposito
Executive Vice President,
Corporate Banking
PNC

Jack Ferguson
Executive Vice President,
Convention Division
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau

JoAnne Fischer
Executive Director
Maternity Care Coalition

Amy S. Frazier
Marketing and Sales Leader
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Deborah I. Hartnett
Vice President, Human Resources
Temple University

Thomas W. Hofmann
Corporate Volunteer

Richard C. Ill
President and CEO
Triumph Group, Inc.

John C.S. Kepner
Senior Vice President
Holy Redeemer Health System

Robert J. Keyes
Vice President/General Manager
Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Robert Q. Kreider
President and CEO
Devereux

Lyn R. Kremer
Publisher
Philadelphia Business Journal

Hugh J. Lavery
VP, Government & External Affairs
Jefferson University Hospital

Karen Lessin
Senior Vice President
Internal Audit & Corporate Compliance
Independence Blue Cross

John J. Lynch
President and CEO
Main Line Health System

Fred J. Maahs, Jr.
Senior Director, Community Investment
Comcast Corporation

Jerry J. Maginnis
Office Managing Partner
KPMG LLP

William C. McGinley
Partner
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

W. Frank McGrane
Senior Vice President,
Commercial Banking
Citizens Bank

Frederick William McNabb, III
President & CEO
Vanguard

Julie Natale Fenton
Assurance Partner,
Private Company Services
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Michael J. Pladus, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
School District of Upper Dublin

Lori F. Reiner, CPA
Partner
Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLP

Judy Spires
President
Acme Markets, Inc.

Nakia Stith
President & CEO
Top of the Clock, Inc.

Nicholas D. Torres
President
Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc.

Lynn M. Utter
President and COO
Knoll, Inc.

John L. Walsh
President & COO
UGI Corporation/AmeriGas

Tara L. Weiner
Managing Partner
Deloitte

Patricia D. Wellenbach
President and CEO
Sandcastle Strategy Group

Howard "Chip" Wilson
Executive Vice President &
Director of Client Services
The Glenmede Trust Company, NA

Thomas C. Woodward
Market President - Pennsylvania
Senior Risk Manager -
General Industries - East
Bank of America

David S.Yadgaroff
Vice President/General Sales Manager
KYW Newsradio 1060