Bank of America Golf Classic Raises $30K for United Way

“We’re all in this together”

October 4, 2010 By Maria Stokes Leave a Comment

Mechanics Bank VP Erwin Reeves volunteers on a committee that is helping to launch a SparkPoint Center in the city of Richmond

United Way is working diligently to establish another five SparkPoint Centers in the Bay Area during the next 18 months, which will join four existing centers in Oakland, American Canyon (Napa), San Bruno and San Rafael.

In Contra Costa County, Mechanics Bank Vice President Erwin Reeves is one of several leaders United Way has gathered to spearhead the planning and launch of the SparkPoint Center in the city of Richmond, which is slated for Spring 2011.

Erwin is a member of the “sustainability committee,” which will ensure the SparkPoint Center in Richmond serves the community’s needs for many years – beyond just the launch – and secure the funding and other commitments necessary to do so. I recently spoke with Erwin about his partnership with United Way and SparkPoint:

Q. Why are you and Mechanics Bank supporting SparkPoint in Richmond?
I’m impressed by the vision around SparkPoint, as well as the enthusiasm of nonprofits and the County to build the SparkPoint Center in Richmond. The bundled, integrated services that SparkPoint offers to clients is a very promising approach to tackling poverty in our community.

Richmond already has a plethora of nonprofits who work together on various projects. SparkPoint is an opportunity to build on those existing partnerships and better integrate programs. SparkPoint offers the opportunity to truly integrate programs and services and get everyone – the County, nonprofits and their clients – all moving in the same direction.

Q. How will the new SparkPoint Center benefit the Richmond community?
With money shrinking, many different organizations are competing for the same foundation dollars, community block grants, and public sector money. This competitive environment has made it difficult to collaborate effectively. With the creation of SparkPoint, all of the organizations are coming to the table as equals, and everyone is on the same page about working together.

Ultimately, this is going to benefit the clients. Someone who comes into SparkPoint with a need for housing assistance won’t have to go back across the city to get job help. Simply by locating everything in one spot, we’re removing significant barriers for clients.

Q. What are the most significant challenges?
While we’ve got a lot of great partners already at the table in Richmond, we need to bring in even more support to ensure the Center is going to be sustainable. It’s easy to get people excited when something is shiny and new, but we need to have long-term commitments too.

Chevron has already stepped up with a financial pledge to support the Center. The County is providing a building that will house the Center. I think we need to gain the support of smaller, mom-and-pop businesses, through the Richmond Chamber of Commerce. It’s going to take the whole community coming together to make this happen. We’re all in this together.

Filed Under: Pathways out of Poverty, Volunteer Tagged With: business, community impact, Contra Costa, SparkPoint, Volunteer

United Way Kicks Off 22nd Annual Koko Challenge

October 2, 2010 By Danielle Cohen Leave a Comment

Last week, United Way kicked-off our 22nd annual Koko Challenge at a gathering of law and community leaders hosted by Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. The Koko Challenge is a fundraising contest among local law firms that run United Way fundraising campaigns. The firms compete for top honors by excelling in total dollars raised, innovation and enthusiasm. Scroll down to see a photo slide show of the kick-off festivities.

The theme of this year’s United Way campaign, “Change the Odds,” is a call to action to Bay Area residents to join us in pursuit of our goal to cut in half the number of local families who live in poverty by the year 2020. Currently, one in five families in our region does not earn enough to cover its basic needs, according to United Way’s “Making Ends Meet in the Bay Area” report.

Jay Price, who is chair of the 2010/11 Koko Cabinet, announced the fundraising goal of $1.5 million this year from the 21 participating law firms. Last year, 18 participating firms raised $1.4 million for charitable causes, setting a standard of excellence in philanthropy for the business community.

The Koko Cabinet is comprised of general counsel from United Way’s corporate partners and leaders within bay area law firms. Cabinet members recruit new law firms, lead volunteer efforts and provide support to all participating firms.

2010/2011 United Way Koko Cabinet

Jay Price, Bank of America – Chair
Michelle Banks, Gap Inc. – Vice Chair
Hewitt Pate, Chevron Corporation
James Potter, Del Monte Foods
David Hearth, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP
Vanessa Washington, Bank of the West
Charles Custer, Gordon & Rees, LLP
Nancy Greenan Hamill, Law Office of Nancy Greenan Hamill
Michael Kelly, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
Richard Kopf, The Fremont Group LLC
William Sawyers, Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center
James Strother, Wells Fargo Bank

For more information about how you can join the 2010-2011 Koko Challenge please contact Danielle Cohen (415)808-4322 or dcohen@uwba.org.

Read more about last year’s Koko Challenge.

Filed Under: Donor recognition, Pathways out of Poverty Tagged With: business, Donor recognition, give, Koko Challenge, partners

Bank of America Golf Classic Raises $30K for United Way

September 28, 2010 By Rick Oculto Leave a Comment

Who says philanthropy can’t be fun? On Friday, September 10^th Bank of America celebrated its 21^st Annual Golf Classic with all proceeds benefiting United Way of the Bay Area.

It was a fun day in the sun at Walnut Creek’s Boundary Oaks Golf Course, where the bank gathered over 90 golfers for a relaxing day in the sun to help support our community. The carts took to the course with a 1:00 p.m. shotgun start. The course included several themed holes, including Closest to the Pin, the Tiger Hole, and the infamous Hole-in-One, where a lucky golfer had the chance to win a motorcycle if she or he was able to sink the ball in one swing.

Later in the day ,the golfers were joined by Raiderettes, Ashlee and Jessica, who encouraged players to give by selling raffle tickets for prizes that included a giant flat screen television, weekend getaways, and golf packages to name a few.

The tournament ended with a banquet held at the club house where winners of the different challenges throughout the day were recognized. At the end of the day, our community was the big winner, with more than $30,000 raised to help United Way of the Bay Area create pathways out of poverty.

Brian Kilpatrick, Tournament Chair for the last few years had this to say, “Bank of America is very happy to continue its ongoing support of the United Way with the 21st edition of our Concord Tech Center Golf Tournament. 90+ golfers and over $30k in donations plus a great day of golfing and good food afterwards really made this event a great success. We look forward to our 22nd.”