WS Chronicle

Submitted photo Community members learn more about United Way’s work and Leadership Societies, such as Women’s Leadership Council and Young Leaders United.

Special to The Chronicle

The United Way of Forsyth County publicly announced the kick-off of its 2015 Community Campaign at the fifth annual Moonlight Madness 5K, a fundraising event coordinated by the city of Winston-Salem to benefit the nonprofit.  This year’s fundraising goal is $16.7 million.

“It’s exciting to see how our community rallies around improving the lives and opportunities available to everyone in Forsyth County,” Tommy Payne, president of Niconovum, a Reynolds American Inc. subsidiary, and chair of the 2015 Community Campaign, said last month.  “We had over 30,000 donors last year as part of the campaign and hope that we can engage even more residents this year.  People in Forsyth County understand the value of investing in education, financial stability and the health of our residents and neighbors.  They recognize that when they give through United Way it makes a lasting impact and strengthens our entire community.”

Cindy Gordineer, president and CEO of United Way of Forsyth County, says she’s pleased to have Payne chairing the community campaign, which is projected to end in December.

“Reynolds has been a great partner of United Way for many years and has an incredible reputation for generosity and support of the community,” she said.

The theme of this year’s community campaign is “What Our Community Needs Is You … Because Great Things Happen When We Live United!”

Beyond raising money, the campaign has goals to educate community members about major issues and encourage involvement.

“Although we’ve seen a lot of successes over the years, a number of individuals and families in our community continue to struggle on a daily basis.  Over 14 percent of our children do not graduate from high school; one in three children and one in four adults live in poverty, and 34 percent of children ages 10-17 are overweight or obese.  These are a few examples of the critical issues facing the community,” Payne said. “United Way collaborates and invests with partners to tackle the tough challenges and make a real impact.  We’ve seen some great progress, particularly around the high school graduation rate, which has risen to 85.4 percent from 70.7 percent in just eight years.”

Gordineer agrees that it takes the entire community coming together to enact real change.

“Community-wide solutions require community-wide involvement.  Thankfully, we have generous donors, great partners, supportive companies and organizations, and wonderful volunteers, like Tommy, who make our work possible,” she says.  “Together we can make Forsyth County one of the best places in the country for both residents and businesses.”

To learn more, go to ForsythUnitedWay.org.