FirstHealth Wins Seventh Annual United Way Spirit Award
| Date Posted: 3/6/2017
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Wes Cowell |
PINEHURST – A theme highlighted by a variety of employee-participation activities with a Wild West flavor helped FirstHealth of the Carolinas lasso its seventh consecutive Spirit of North Carolina Award from the United Way of North Carolina (UWNC).
The United Way of Moore County nominated FirstHealth for the statewide award, which recognizes companies and their employees that demonstrate United Way campaign excellence and community involvement. The award was presented Feb. 17 at the UWNC’s Annual Meeting & Spirit of NC Awards Luncheon at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
“The United Way of Moore County is fortunate to have the support of FirstHealth of the Carolinas whose leadership, staff and employees truly understand the importance of a local United Way organization,” says Linda Pearson, executive director of United Way of Moore County. “Their giving and advocacy for our work is incredibly important to our mission, and this latest Spirit Award is much deserved.”
Like campaigns of the past several years, FirstHealth’s 2016 United Way fundraising effort was once again its most successful ever with the $202,952 pledged by 2,315 employee participants exceeding the $200,000 goal.
Forty employees pledged at or above the FirstHealth Leadership Society threshold of $1,000.
“I couldn’t be more proud to remain a part of FirstHealth’s annual employee United Way campaign,” says Chair Wes Cowell, administrative director of Pharmacy/Respiratory. “The campaign enjoys the generous support of FirstHealth’s administration, which underwrites games and activities to get out the word, but FirstHealth employees are its heart and soul. This is their campaign.”
The FirstHealth “Pony Up” campaign ran from Oct. 28 to Nov. 15 and encouraged employee participation with Calf Lasso, Can Toss and Rope Toss games in addition to a “Jail and Bail” activity.
“Several new volunteers joined the campaign committee this year, providing the periodic transfusion of fresh ideas that is always a boost,” Cowell says.
FirstHealth’s annual giving effort benefits all four counties in the organization’s primary service area through its support of the Montgomery County Crisis Fund and the Hoke United Fund as well as the United Way programs in Moore and Richmond counties.
