TI United Way campaign raises over $4.63 million Environment
by Crystalyn Holubec, Director, Public Affairs
TI employees pledged more than $2.77 million during
the 2006 United Way campaign. This amount, combined
with a TI Foundation gift of $1.86 million, resulted
in a $4.63 million investment in the communities where
TI employees live and work, with more than $4.3 million
contributed in Texas alone.
TI has a philosophy dating to its founders that a healthy,
successful community is the basis for a healthy, successful
TI. Company leaders believe that the United Way consistently
excels at addressing and resolving the most urgent community
needs. Each year, TI employees across the United States
readily respond to the agency’s call for support.
"We are proud of this year's campaign results,"
said Rich Templeton, TI president and CEO and chairman
of the 2006 TI United Way campaign. "The decision
of so many TI employees and their families to invest
in United Way makes a real difference in people's lives
throughout our community."
TI’s United Way activities go beyond the fund-raising
campaign. Employees volunteer with United Way and its
partner agencies year-round. Dozens of TI employees
serve on the agency’s fund-allocation committees,
and hundreds aid United Way agencies by serving on boards,
volunteering at the ground level and participating in
“Day of Caring” volunteer projects.
Last year, TI teams adopted agencies for campaign service
projects, and many decided to continue the relationship
year-round. Groups built playgrounds for underprivileged
children, delivered meals to homebound senior citizens,
organized donation centers and tutored kids after school.
Heartwarming stories abound, but one account from Tu
Nidito, an agency that supports children and their families
as they deal with serious illness and death, illustrates
the effect of TI employees’ generosity on the
community:
“In one of my ‘littles’ groups, ages
4-7, we recently read the book Mean Soup, in which a
mother puts on a pot of water for an agitated and irritable
little boy to scream into to make him feel better. After
the story, we made our own pot of Mean Soup. We screamed
incessantly into our pot and banged on the sides unmercifully
with big spoons. Through the banging and screaming,
kids were yelling things such as, ‘I'm mad my
brother died!’ and ‘I miss my mom!’
While it was incredibly cathartic, it was very rowdy,
and I was quickly trying to think of something to bring
the energy level down as group came to an end.
“I then remembered that for the Day of Caring
some gracious (TI) folks had come and made real soup
for our families. I quickly heated some in the microwave
and told the youngsters that some very kind people had
come to Tu Nidito and made ‘Nice Soup’ –
no kidding! They were agog! Since we had filled our
pot of Mean Soup with all kinds of big, angry feelings,
I asked them what they thought went into Nice Soup.
They came up with things like love, friendliness, being
nice, and being generous, and making people feel better.
They gobbled up their sample of Nice Soup and were then
able to take a container home to share.”
TI’s history with the United Way dates to the
early 1960s when TI Founder Erik Jonsson helped oversee
efforts by the American Red Cross and the Community
Chest to create what was then the United Fund.
Jonsson became the first chairman of the United Fund
board and was instrumental in its growth and efforts
to care for the less fortunate. Since then, TI employees
have been involved with United Way at every level.
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