
uwca.org
United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) this week kicked off its 2025 fundraising effort with a charge to dozens of local companies to raise $11 million through this year’s Pacesetter Campaign, which was launched at a breakfast event at the Florentine in downtown Birmingham.
The Pacesetter Campaign serves as a jump-start to United Way’s annual fundraising efforts, bringing together businesses and community leaders to support vital health and human services. Funds raised by United Way are allocated to 79 Central Alabama nonprofits and United Way programs ranging from early education to senior services, such as Meals on Wheels.
Mike Suco, President and CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, and Chair of this year’s Pacesetter Campaign, said the 50-plus companies participating in this campaign are charged with galvanizing support for United Way early in the year.
“We’re here to inspire, encourage and motivate the rest of the companies, the rest of the folks in our community, to give and to surpass this goal,” Suco said. “Hitting $11 million is just the first step. We would very much like to surpass that, raise more money and make this a record year.”
The theme for this year’s workplace campaign is “Why We Unite,” representing the many different reasons that people of all backgrounds come together as one to support United Way’s diverse programs and services that change lives for the better and build a stronger community for us all.
Trey Clegg, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Brasfield & Gorrie and Chair of this year’s Fall Campaign, emphasized the importance of togetherness to United Way’s mission.
“We are stronger together, because we are more alike than we are different,” said Clegg in a video shown at the event. “Whether it’s to provide hunger relief, support our community’s youth, volunteer or address mental health issues— everywhere around us are reasons why we unite.”
Robert Smith, Executive Director of The Amelia Center, a Children’s of Alabama grief counseling center and a UWCA partner agency, also pointed to this in his invocation. Differences between people, he said, do not hinder service to the community.
“We gather this morning as a community united by a shared purpose — to uplift, to serve and to give back,” Smith said. “We come from different backgrounds, traditions and walks of life, but we are bound together by our common goal to build a better community for all.”
Lead sponsors for the Tuesday event were Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED and AmFirst. Lauren Sisler, Emmy award-winning ESPN sports reporter and author, served as the keynote speaker for the event, sharing her story of learning to live through the grief and shame of losing her parents to prescription drug addiction at the age of 18. Sisler encouraged the audience to face challenges head-on, persevere through adversity and “fall in love” with their own story.
United Way of Central Alabama serves Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties.