Alongside the rhythmic beats of South Effingham’s High School’s marching band, the United Way of the Coastal Empire rang in their new 2025 campaign at the Savannah Convention Center with the correlated theme -- “Educate, Elevate, Unite.”

The school tie-in was no doubt appreciated by Dr. Yancy Ford, United Way’s 2025 Campaign Chair and Effingham County Schools superintendent. 

“Education is the foundation for brighter futures, but we can’t do it alone”, said Dr. Ford to the audience.

More than 50 students as well as superintendents from United Way’s five-county service area--Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, and Long counties attended this year’s kickoff event. 

The link between local schools and the United Way is well-established, according to Dr. Ford. With many new families moving into the growing Southeast region, those in need may first turn to their child’s school as a local resource. For example, Dr. Ford cited his cooperation with Bryan County residents seeking help after Tropical Storm Debby devastated Richmond Hill in August. 

“Just being a campaign chair and having some contacts in Bryan County, as they reached out, I was able to connect them to the appropriate United Way folks in Bryan County so that those families could get that support,” Dr. Ford explained. 

“Parents who have children have a connection to the school and many times that’s the first place they go to for support,” said Dr. Ford. “We can’t solve all the problems by ourselves, but if we can partner with those agencies like the United Way, they can help [connect] them to the appropriate agencies that can help support them.”

At the kickoff event, the United Way also announced its ‘Pacesetter’ Campaign results totaling $494,794--a reported increase of 13% over last year. The 21 local Pacesetters businesses that agreed to kickstart the Campaign by running early employee-giving campaigns include:

• America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia

• BankSouth

• Bryan County Schools

• Chatham Steel

• Critz Auto Group

• Dixie Plywood

• Effingham County Board of Education

• Goodwill of Southeast Georgia

• Hancock Askew & Company

• Liberty County Board of Education

• Pembroke Advanced Fiber

• Reiser & Reiser

• Savannah Speech & Hearing

• Senior Citizens, Inc.

• Shaw Industries

• St. Andrew’s School

• Sterling Seacrest Pritchard

• Synovus

• Thomas & Hutton

• Union Mission

• United Way of the Coastal Empire

“Our mission is to improve lives, and we do that by providing a safety net for the most vulnerable and pathways for upward mobility so everyone in our five-county region can thrive,” said Kimberly Waller, United Way of the Coastal Empire President and CEO. “We can only do that through the caring power of this community.”

“Today is an incredible example of all the counties coming together, uniting schools and students and teachers and superintendents. It’s a good example of what the United Way stands for.”

Those interested in making a donation or learning more about United Way of the Coastal Empire’s work can visit uwce.org.