United Way Hosts its Annual Community Celebration Luncheon

United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties hosted its annual Community Celebration Luncheon on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, at the MTSU Student Union Ballroom.

United Way’s mission to improve health, education, and financial stability would not have been possible without the help and support of our local community. The Community Celebration occurs each year and is a time of reflection and recognition of individuals, organizations, and partners who have significantly impacted our community over the past year.

The event included recognition of the 2022-2023 award winners: Board Member of the Year, Dr. Jill Austin; Community Engagement Award, Middle Tennessee Electric; Community Impact Award, Pinnacle Financial Partners; Employee Campaign Manager of the Year, Stacy Wallace; Dr. Linda Gilbert Advocacy Award, Deb Thompson; Rise Award, Kennametal; Volunteer of the Year, Fran Jones; Witherspoon Society Award, Chris and Bonita Jones; Young Leader of the Year, Sierra Lowry.

New board members were introduced for the 2023-2024 fiscal year: Brandon Doyle, Pinnacle Financial Partners; Yolanda Greene, First Horizon Bank; Francela Salas, Redstone Federal Credit Union; Stacy Wilder, Regions Bank; Ty Williams, UPS.

Most notably, our local United Way announced a record year of impact – more than $3.9 million in impact in Rutherford and Cannon Counties for the year 2022-2023. This is made possible through the combined efforts of every donor, volunteer, sponsor, staff member, advocate, and community partner.

Another exciting development from this year is the expansion of our United Way’s service area, announced at the Community Celebration. In the spring of 2023, our local United Way went from serving two counties – Rutherford and Cannon – to four. Our local United Way will now serve Rutherford, Cannon, Bedford, and Lincoln Counties.

CEO and President of the local United Way, Meagan Flippin, shares, “This new endeavor is a great opportunity for community collaboration and expansion of our collective impact. This growth is made possible by the donors, sponsors, and volunteers of our local United Way. We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the past year of tremendous impact and look forward to the year ahead for our growing community.”

Thank you to Publix Super Markets and Publix Super Markets Charities, our presenting sponsor, and all 2023 Community Celebration sponsors, including Middle Tennessee Electric, Volunteer State Bank, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, Ingram Content Group, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Regions Bank, and Wilson Bank & Trust.