Meet Claudia Franco, the newest addition to our employee campaign team as the Corporate Relations Coordinator. Although she is new to the campaign team, she is not new to UWATX–she served as a Bilingual Navigation Specialist for one year, helping connect Hispanic Austinites in need to heath and human services. What is your background, both in the community and professionally, prior to working with United Way? I am originally from Lima, Peru. I moved to the United States when I was 11 years old. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in the McCombs School of Business, where I studied marketing and Spanish literature. Before working at UWATX, I worked at Austin Community College as a technical lab assistant and interned at KIS as a marketing designer. What drew you to UWATX and made you feel that it was the right fit for you? I always wanted to make an impact in someone’s life. After graduating from McCombs, I interned at KIS and it made me realize that the way to make a greater impact was by giving back to my community. After meeting with Pedro (Navigation Manager at UWATX), I was surprised on the ways UWATX has changed the lives of many people, and there was no doubt that I belonged here. How do you see your role at UWATX, and what do you hope to accomplish in this job? I would like to increase donations by engaging the Hispanic community. I want the Hispanic community to […]
Read MoreBB&T’s 2015 Lighthouse Project
BB&T completed its annual BB&T Lighthouse community volunteer project in May to celebrate its sixth year of promoting a company-wide service effort. Across the country, BB&T has contributed more than 325,000 volunteer hours to local nonprofits, including United Way for Greater Austin. This year, more than 50 BB&T volunteers spent two days improving the Boys and Girls Club gardens. The Boys and Girls Club serving McBee Elementary provides high quality afterschool programming to more than 130 elementary students each weekday. Through enrichment programs like the Gardening Club, students not only have a safe place to go after school, but also to deepen their understanding of concepts they learn during the school day and develop an interest in their community. BB&T volunteers renovated the current garden area and added new resources for the Gardening Club to use in their lessons. Volunteers built a fence around the garden, added raised garden beds, created pathways around the garden, added a picnic table as a teaching space, and built and painted signs labeling the garden. The garden will be used by the Boys and Girls Club for Gardening Club lessons, outdoor science activities and as a fun activity space. The project cost $4,900, which BB&T donated. View all photos from the Lighthouse project on Flickr. What BB&T volunteers had to say about the project: “It was an amazing day! It’s great to see all of our BB&T associates work together for a great organization like United Way’s partner, Boys & Girls Club. We have […]
Read MoreEmployee Campaign Leader of the Year 2014
Each year, we host the Employee Campaign Awards to recognize the donors and leaders who work hard to make employee campaigns successful at their workplaces. For the 2014 Employee Campaign Awards event last Friday, we added a new, very important award: Employee Campaign Leader of the Year. Employee campaign leaders are vital to the success of every employee giving campaign for United Way. We look forward to highlighting an outstanding “ECL” each year moving forward, and this year the very first award of this kind goes to Laura Seaton of Travis County. “It is a warm knowing that despite your own life trials and dramas, and we all have them, you have given something of yourself that truly has helped another human being feel a little whole again and a little less lost.” — Laura Seaton Laura Seaton lived and worked in public service for Maui County, but circumstances brought her to Austin, Texas where she started working in public service with Travis County in 2010. Laura participated in the United Way for Greater Austin campaign three years in row, and goes above and beyond carrying the message to every employee in her department, Transportation and Natural Resources, and across the county as an ECL. Laura takes her responsibility of being an ECL very seriously. She implements rigorous best practices, personalizes the campaign so each employee feels more connected and does it all with a smile. Laura was assigned to be an ECL, yet she loves the role. When asked […]
Read MoreHappy Birthday, Judge Biscoe!
Happy birthday, Judge Sam Biscoe! Judge Biscoe has served as Travis County Court judge since 1998, and will retire when his term ends this December. He served on the United Way for Greater Austin Board of Directors for many years, and recognizes the common goals UWATX and the county have to help those in our community who need it most. In addition to becoming the first African-American Travis County Court judge, he helped implement several programs benefitting county residents, including a youth summer employment program and extended-day program for middle school students. “I would personally appreciate your helping me transition into retirement knowing we gave generously to needy persons in our community.” – Judge Sam Biscoe He has been a voice of reason and mission for our community, and has consistently advocated for families living in rural areas surrounding Austin. He invests his own resources thoughtfully, and additionally, asks that his employees also engage in philanthropy. Every year, he runs a Combined Charities employee campaign, in which Travis County employees pledge to contribute a portion of their individual salary to over 300 charities in the Austin community, including UWATX. For his birthday on November 5, Judge Biscoe requests donations to his campaign in lieu of purchasing a gift. He ran his most successful campaign in 2009 by raising over $200,000. As this year will be his final employee campaign, Judge Biscoe’s goal is to set a new record for the amount of money raised and hopes it will be his most prosperous campaign yet! If you are […]
Read MoreUWATX pacesetter campaigns kickoff with H-E-B
While the majority of United Way for Greater Austin’s Employee Campaigns run throughout the fall, a few companies set the pace and the tone for each year’s season. As always, H-E-B is one of the first out of the gate, enthusiastic and dedicated to making a difference. “H-E-B has always been committed to giving back,” said Jeff Thomas, Senior Vice President – General Manager for the Central Texas region of H-E-B. “We are one of the largest employers in the Greater Austin area, so we know we can have a great influence on the community that we live in and work in.” Nearly a month ago, more than 50 H-E-B In-Store Coordinators joined United Way staff to get excited about campaign and see what was in store for this year. Coordinators shared their experiences in past campaigns and gave each other tips on how to make the most out of the experience, for themselves, fellow employees and the community. “I think it’s the way that they make the impact of each employee’s gift clear that really sets H-E-B apart,” said Greg Bennett, the UWATX Development Officer that manages H-E-B’s campaign. “They emphasize how what seems like a small gift can make a big impact. For example, they’ll show a $2 soft drink and say ‘The price of a soda every week can provide two weeks of one-on-one mentoring for a middle school student.’” This year, H-E-B partners have taken their work to the next level by printing signage to post […]
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