Our current campaign goal is...
$370,000

Will you help us LIVE UNITED by giving to United Way? A variety of creative campaigns and special events have helped raise funds. Hot Shots has started an annual miniature golf tournament that benefits United Way. Players tried their luck at Bunco and a poker run. There have been fashion shows and car shows -- all events that were fun as well as beneficial. Workplace campaigns remain the backbone of United Way. In Franklin County, the largest contributor continues to be Ronile, Inc. In fact, Ronile has broken the $100,000 mark for four years running! Regardless of the size of the business, everyone taking part in the campaign has a chance to make a lasting difference for all of Franklin County.

» Steering Campaign Solutions

Rocky Mount Elementary School Principal Jerome Johnson, left, welcomes Roy Enslow to a recent faculty meeting.

Local businessman Roy Enslow recently offered an unusual means of helping United Way of Franklin County boost its campaign.

As the owner of Bridgewater Marina & Boat Rentals, he came up with the idea of using his boats to encourage giving by the employees of the Franklin County school system. The higher the groups’ campaign participation rate, the more free pontoon rentals they can earn.

“When the Board discussed the school system being the county’s largest employer, I wanted a way to encourage more of the employees to give to the campaign,” Enslow said.

He approached the other board members with his idea and worked out a percentage prize system. If a school or group, like the transportation department for example, has 50% of its members giving to the current United Way campaign, that group receives one free day’s pontoon rental – a $165 value. If three-fourths of their members contribute, they receive two pontoons, and if 100% participate, they receive three pontoons.

The winning members also receive free bags of popcorn to feed the Bridgewater fish plus discounted coupons for food and entertainment at Bridgewater Plaza.

Enslow explained that the prize recipients would reserve their boats in advance any time from Jan. 1 – June 15, 2012, except Memorial Day weekend and only pay for the gas they use.

“I saw this as a way to help the United Way and for folks to have a fun day on the lake,” Enslow said. “With more than 1,200 employees in the division, there’s a potential for lots of new donors, and it also increases awareness of my business.”

Todd Hammock, President of the United Way Board of Directors, called Enslow’s idea creative and said his enthusiasm was contagious.

“Roy is still one of the newer members on the Board, but he has taken a leadership role. He doesn’t focus on a problem; he asks what he can do to help solve it. The school employees have been good United Way supporters through the years. But when we looked at the numbers, we knew there were many we weren’t reaching,” Hammock said.

He added that Roy had given individual boat rentals as prizes last year and this year. He also took the United Way representatives from each school for a boat ride and dinner so they could learn more about United Way and offer suggestions for improvements. He organized a United Way Day at Bridgewater Plaza last year and was the first business owner to purchase an ad on the pledge forms, a move designed to reduce printing costs.

Enslow also played a key role in United Way’s campaign video produced by Cable 12, but he was quick to share the spotlight.

“Without the efforts and cooperation of the Cable 12 staff, our video would not have happened,” he said, adding that he hopes the campaign will benefit as groups and businesses watch the video and see Franklin County residents talking about United Way.

“Roy has also accepted an office – second vice president – which will prepare him for his role as president in the near future,” Hammock said. “We hope more innovative business owners will team up with United Way and volunteer to serve on the board or committees and to conduct campaigns for their employees. Together, we can make this the best campaign United Way has ever had.”

 

» 2009 President's Award - Philip Essig

2009 President's Award - Philip Essig

Why Do We Give?
United Way Campaign Kickoff Dinner
Essig Youth Center, Rocky Mount, VA
September 24, 2010

Pat (Pat Koger, United Way’s Director) asked me earlier this week to offer my perspective on why we should give to the United Way.

I liked Pat’s question. Why should we give to the United Way? If you are here tonight, you already have your reasons to give to United Way. Through your gifts to the United Way, we will improve lives in Franklin County and build a stronger community. We will advance education, help people achieve financial stability, and improve the health of our fellow citizens.

That mission, by itself, provides a reason for all of us to give.

On a personal level, I guess I give because that is how I was raised. You all know my father, Abe, and Elinor. You know how committed they are to giving in Franklin County. Since my earliest memories, being a part of the community and giving have been part of my life.

When Abe and Elinor started Ronile in 1984, it was natural for them to bring the family’s way of thinking about giving to the company. Ronile is proud to be part of this community and to support efforts to make Franklin County a better place to live.

Sometimes after doing something for a long time you don’t stop to think about why you do something – it is just who you are and what you do. But Pat’s request this week gave me reason to reflect. And I realized that especially in these difficult economic times, it is important to remember why we give.

Certainly, we give because it makes us feel good. Giving is motivated by our human need to find meaning in life. Giving makes us part of the community. It brings us closer to other people. It celebrates life and living. Giving provides us with hope. When we see a natural disaster or someone in need, giving reminds us that we can make a difference and that even the worst circumstances can be improved.

The word “charity” means “generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill or less fortunate.” The word derives from a Greek word meaning an unlimited loving kindness to all others, like the love of God.

Charity is part of our religious traditions. In Christianity, Jesus by his example displayed a fundamental concern for those in need. He taught we should love others as he did and that acts of compassion and charity are an expression of love toward one’s neighbor and an expression of God’s love.

In Islam, the Quran teaches that charity is the “spending out of what God has given.” Giving to the less fortunate is obligatory in Islam. It is meant to represent your relation with fellow human beings and to be an expression of sympathy and benevolence toward God’s creation.

Tzedakah is the Hebrew word used in the Jewish faith for acts that we might translate as “charity.” But the root of the word means “righteousness, justice or fairness.” Giving to the poor is not viewed as simply “generous” or a “magnanimous act of kindness.” It is an act of justice, the performance of a duty, giving the poor and those in need what they are due.

I think we give for both reasons. It empowers us to change the world. It makes us feel good to help others and makes life on earth better for all of us. But we must never forget that we give also because we must give.

Particularly today, when times are difficult, we should remember that giving is not optional. At Ronile, the last few years have not been easy. We make and sell products that people use to decorate their homes and offices. With the crash of the housing markets and the difficult economy, we have never faced greater challenges as a business. Our employees have all shared in the sacrifices.

More than once, I, personally and on behalf of Ronile, have thought how easy it would be to lower the amount that we give so that money would be available to us. All of us have had to “tighten our belts.” We all have had to eliminate some things from our budget that we would like to have. How much easier it would be if we could just take a year off from giving so we wouldn’t have to sacrifice so much.

But remembering our duty to give helps us to understand why the last thing we can cut from our budget is what we give to those in need. The needs are not less in times like this. They are greater.

So this year, I tell you why I give and, hopefully, remind us all why give. And I ask you this year, most of all, please give everything you can. You can make a difference. You can change someone’s life. You will feel good. And it is the just and fair thing to do.

Thank you.

- Phillip C. Essig