Amid a backdrop of blooms and an actual in-person audience, the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg held its fourth annual Steps for Success awards luncheon last week, putting an exclamation point of gratitude on a year of giving and service. Held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, the venerable nonprofit bestowed awards on companies and individuals who helped enable United Way to continue to support important programs throughout the community.
Among the winners:
- Corporate Partner of the Year: Dupont, whose CEO hosted a fireside chat to kick off the company’s campaign, which also celebrated leadership givers with a dinner at The Boathouse. Staff also helped refurbish a United Way Early Learning Trail and other beautification projects at Mosby Court’s community center and playground. (Other nominees included The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and Enterprise Leasing.)
- Community Champion Award: Curtis “Lewwy” Marsh, Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, a longtime Employee Campaign Manager, his enthusiasm and creativity led to a significant increase in employee giving last year. (Also nominated: Catherine Cary, Bremo Pharmacy; Steven Cancino, Enterprise Leasing; and Michelle Buresh, Genworth.)
- Leadership Circle Award: Amy Bartilotti (The Office of Family and Community Engagement, Chesterfield County) & Shelby Bartilotti (Chesterfield County School System), the mother-daughter dual winners have a combined 22 years of volunteer service to United Way programs.
- Alexis de Tocqueville Award: Bob and Jan Reynolds, whose generous philanthropy on behalf of United Way goes back more than two decades.
- Community Giving Award: Mary Virginia Overholser, Capital One, whose support for and broad commitment to United Way’s WomenRise program has contributed in meaningful ways to the initiative’s success in serving the needs of young mothers.
- Community Impact: Group Award: Pitney Bowes, whose team created 80 individually decorated United Way Literacy Kits for incoming kindergarteners as well as generously donated other supplies and materials. (Other nominees included: General Electric and Truist Financial.)
- Community Impact: Individual Award: Kwokwah “KW” Cheung, who for a dozen years has donated countless hours in support of United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, helping other accurately file their taxes.
- Steps to Success Award: Dominion Energy, which was recognized for its perennial support in providing low-income residents with assistance in covering their heating and cooling costs through its Energy Share program, now in its 40th year.
As part of the program, United Way president and CEO James Taylor reviewed some of the year’s highlights, which included the agency’s support for its WomenRise program, Kindergarten Countdown Camps and Volunteer Tax Assistance Program as well as the millions of dollars that United Way provided over the past year in support of its tiered Steps for Success programs.
Steps for Success logo provided by United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg
