On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, United Way of Laramie County held a social gathering for board members, staff, and invited guests. It was an opportunity to recognize the good work of outgoing members and to welcome newcomers.
This event allowed us to make up for lost time during the pandemic. Specifically, we were able to honor past campaign chairs Lindi and Alan Kirkbride who weren’t recognized publicly at the end of their 2019 or 2020 campaigns due to all the restrictions with public gatherings at the time. We also recognized Dr. Danielle and Jess Ryan for their work as campaign chairs for the 2021 campaign.
We honored outgoing board member Brittany Ashby. She served for eight years in a variety of capacities. We are grateful for the expertise she brought to the table because of her professional experience in assisting nonprofit groups.
We welcomed former mayor, Rick Kaysen along with Bryan and Sara Pedersen to our board of directors. Each will certainly bring a wealth of experience to their roles as well.
We honored Dr. Joseph Horam, who completed his term as board president. It was definitely a challenging year to have that role. The pandemic continued to drag on and hobbled fundraising endeavors. A retirement, a new baby, and other opportunities, resulted in two/thirds of the personnel at the United Way office leaving their roles. Dr. Horam and the board confronted each challenge with grace and dignity. We have survived the turbulence and look forward to calmer waters ahead.
We welcomed Aaron Courtney, as the new board president. What kind of surprises will be in store for him? Hopefully, the surprises will all be positive and strengthen our culture of excellence.
Finally, we honored former board member Pat Ashworth. His dedication and commitment to United Way of Laramie County is astounding. His enthusiasm for the cause is contagious. We honored him as our LIVE UNITED Ambassador. Thank you, Pat.
We certainly appreciate the work of our staff, all the board members, our campaign chairs, and the volunteers who make employee campaigns fruitful at their places of employment. The tradition of caring is only possible because of the many people who believe in the work we are doing.
With a grateful heart,
Vernon Dobelmann
Executive Director