TI President, Chairman and CEO Rich Templeton receives a set of silver spurs - a traditional token for his role in soliciting support from North Texas companies - from 2011-2012 campaign chair Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman, CEO and president. Templeton is the 2012-2013 campaign chair. Video TI CEO is named United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD) 2012-2013 citywide campaign chair on Feb. 28. Watch a 10-minute video of his remarks here.

TI Chairman, President and CEO Rich Templeton recently became United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD) 2012-2013 citywide campaign chair during the annual Heroes of Hope celebration in Dallas.

He received a set of silver spurs - a traditional token for his role in soliciting support from North Texas companies - from 2011-2012 campaign chair Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman, CEO and president.

"We are incredibly grateful to Randall and Rich for establishing this inspiring legacy of global CEO leadership chairing our local campaign," said Debbie Taylor, UWMD Board chair and regional director of Citi Community Development.

TI honored with award
TI also was honored at the dinner with the United Way Trendsetter Award, which recognized the company for substantially increasing its total campaign through innovative volunteerism initiatives and growing new-employee participation more than 300 percent.

The company was also among 11 businesses recognized for raising at least $1 million in its 2011-2012 annual fund-raising campaign. Additionally, TI received a Community Impact Award for giving to the general United Way Community Impact Fund.

Templeton told those at the dinner that TI believes strong companies build strong communities, and strong communities build strong companies.

"And it's that perspective we can bring to the 2012 United Way campaign as we work with the many other strong companies in North Texas," he said.

"But even as we commit our companies to United Way, we recognize people have a choice. With United Way, our employees can see firsthand the impact their dollars are making. And that's what's best to me about the United Way campaign – when our employees get involved as volunteers with United Way and its agencies, great things happen on both sides."

KDFW Fox 4 anchor/reporter Natalie Solis served as the Heroes of Hope emcee. Keynote speaker Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings highlighted United Way's important work toward breaking destructive cycles of high school dropouts, poverty and poor health.

"The money raised and invested by United Way will fund long-term solutions to our community's most pressing social problems, making this city a better place to live, work, and raise our families," Rawlings said. "Collectively, we're making a lasting difference for Dallas."

2011-2012 campaign results
The 2011-2012 annual campaign was the UWMD's second in a five-year effort to raise more than $300 million for North Texas. The campaign will meet its ambitious revenue target this year, fueling efforts to achieve groundbreaking United 2020 community goals.

These 10-year goals include preparing 50 percent more students for success after high school, lifting 250,000 people out of poverty permanently and improving health and quality of life across the region.

"United Way is the opportunity to change lives forever," Stephenson said. "North Texans recognize that and despite a recovering economy have rallied to give generously to support United Way's work."

TI's history of giving
TI has been involved with the UWMD since the early 1950s, when employees led drives to support local charities, including the Dallas Community Chest. In 1961, the Community Chest became the United Way.

Past UWMD board chairs with a TI affiliation include TI founder Erik Jonsson (1962-63); Bea Haggerty, wife of TI founder Pat Haggerty, (1977-78), former TI Chairman, President and CEO Jerry Junkins (1989-90) and former TI senior vice president and director Phil Ritter (2005-06).

During his remarks, Templeton noted that Jonsson, one of the company's founders and the first chairman of the United Way board, made a decision that it was important to support United Way as its chairman in the midst of establishing a rapidly growing business 50 years ago.

"When I think about what he was facing as the leader of a growing company, I realize many things haven't changed. We still believe that the United Way is as important today as it was when Erik Jonsson decided he was going to make it priority back in 1961. I think we can all learn that if he had that time back then, we certainly have that time now because the problems aren't any smaller today in terms of the challenges we face in the community," he said.

TI has had the largest campaign in Dallas every year for the past 51 years, with the exception of two years. For many years, TI was the only $1 million company.

Since Templeton began chairing TI's campaign in 2004, TI and the TI Foundation have given more than $30 million. And more than 40 TI employees currently serve as volunteers on United Way allocation panels, campaign cabinet, committees, affinity group steering committees and the UWMD board.

"We have significant participation across our employee population," Templeton said. "In many ways, the credit for that has to go to TI's founders the Jonssons, the Haggertys, the Greenes, and the McDermotts. It's hard to go around Dallas and not see those names touching our institutions. We learned from them what it meant to give and build a stronger community as we were growing up."

About United Way
Companies have flexibility to set the dates for their annual United Way employee giving campaigns, but most occur in the fall. TI's 2012 United Way campaign will be Oct. 22-Nov. 7.

United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is the largest non-governmental funder of programs to improve education, income and health in Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and southern Denton counties.

By breaking the cycles of dropouts, poverty and poor health for hundreds of thousands of people over the next 10 years, United Way donors, volunteers and advocates aim to create long-term improvements throughout the region. To learn more, visit UnitedWayDallas.org.