United Way in midst of fall fund campaign, seeks $38M

The United Way of Central Alabama partners with more than 80 agencies and organizations to improve the health, education and financial stability of residents in Jefferson, Walker, Shelby, St. Clair and Blount counties.

To provide the money for this work, the UWCA kicked off its annual fall fundraising campaign on September 6 with an event at the BJCC.

The goal for the fall is to raise $38 million, according to a UWCA spokesperson.

And the work the UWCA and its partners does is extremely important to the communities they serve, according to Alan Register, the campaign chair and the Birmingham market executive for Regions Financial Corporation.

“We meet so many needs [and] some of those needs would likely go unmet without United Way,” Register told Iron City Ink.

These efforts are important even given the booming U.S. economy, according to Register.

“There are still a lot of needs out there, and those needs continue to grow,” he said.

Some of the agencies have experienced funding cuts, making support from the UWCA even more important, according to Register.

The UWCA works to help support early childhood education, the working poor and veterans in need of safe, secure housing, among other needs.

And the goal is to help engender permanent, positive change, according to Register.

“It’s not just about putting a Bandaid on something but creating programs and infrastructure to help people’s lives every day going forward,” he said.

Register got involved in United Way in 2002 and has since served in various capacities on numerous campaign committees.

And he said his experience with United Way in 2002 made him a “believer” in the organization.

He said that he was particularly impressed with the “seriousness” with which the UWCA works to properly allocate “the precious dollars our community gives us.”

To make a contribution or to get more information, go to uwca.org.