United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley kicked off its annual fundraising campaign on Thursday, August 26^th at the Phenix City Amphitheater. Approximately 600 people were present at United Way’s biggest event of the year. This year’s campaign theme is “Recover. Reimagine. Rebuild.” The kickoff was a pep rally to get the community excited for the year ahead.  

Ben Moser, President & CEO of United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, is thrilled to be able to kickoff the campaign in person this year and is eager to see our community rally together. “United Way's mission to advance equity and achieve child, family, and community well-being for everyone matters now more than ever,” said Moser. “We will continue to create a more equitable and resilient community that shows every person they are valued and deserve a chance to thrive. United Way is committed to the people in the valley - we will recover, reimagine, and rebuild our community together,” he added.  

To kickoff the event in true pep rally style, Central High School Pep Band played and the Dazzling Devils performed. Dave Arwood, Operations Manager at PMB Broadcasting, emceed the event and Adrian Chester, Pastor at Greater Beallwood Baptist Church, delivered the invocation. Following the invocation, Carver High School posted colors and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Eddie Lowe of Positively Phenix City welcomed attendees to his great city.   

This year’s United Way Campaign Chair is Jack Turner, a lifelong resident with strong family ties to Columbus and the surrounding area. He has a long history of giving and volunteering for United Way, he started as a Loaned Executive over 15 years ago and now serves on the United Way Board of Directors. “In 2020, the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley faced unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and disparities that exist in our community,” he said. “Some of these challenges are still with us, and we want to bring everyone together to create a path forward for a better TOMORROW.   This is a time to Recover, Reimagine and Rebuild,” he added. 

Dave Arwood talked with Ben Moser and Jack Turner, on what we could expect from this year’s campaign and how we can make an impact in the Chattahoochee Valley. 

This year’s special guest was Dr. Jake Golden, Principal at Phenix City Elementary School (PCES), and he shared the impact United Way’s Community Schools United has on hist students and teachers. Community Schools United is also in three schools in Muscogee County School District.   

The crowd stood and cheered to snap a drone picture of the stands. After the picture, the Russell County High Band and Cheerleaders performed again. United Way announced the goal for this year’s campaign, which is $7,000,000. The goal for this year’s campaign was announced by the Russell County High School Cheerleaders. 

This year’s Campaign Video airs at Noon following the event on United Way’s Facebook page @unitedwaycv. The 2021 Campaign Video was sponsored and produced by BEAM. Make sure to visit our page to watch. This year’s Spoken Word was created by Jonathan Samuel Eddie, a local artist.  

Funds raised during the campaign are invested in local programs by volunteers. The programs must meet a need in one of United Way’s three core areas of Economic Mobility, Educational Equity, and Health Access, demonstrate results, and show good stewardship of the community’s monies.