United Way of Greenville County announced the recipients of its 2021 Stronger United Community Awards Celebration during a virtual event on March 18 broadcast from the Peace Center.
Throughout the ceremony, United Way also recognized the private partners, donors, public entities, corporations, volunteers and activists who make its work possible.
“We have been proud to celebrate all of the great things we accomplished together last year — sometimes against the odds,” said United Way of Greenville County president and CEO Meghan Barp. “The love and support we saw pouring in from our community as we banded together to help our most vulnerable neighbors was inspiring and fuels us to keep going every day. As we move forward into 2021, we continue to respond to the immediate needs of our neighbors while laying the foundation for a recovery that leaves no member of our community behind.”
During the event, the United Way gave its Spirit Award, which is the organization’s highest honor for community service and leadership, to three recipients. They were:
- Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition Services and director Joe Urban for the plan to serve meals to students and families across the districts following the district’s closure to stop the spread of COVID-19
- Greenville County for its response to COVID-19, which included the distribution of more than $91 million in federal CARES Act funds throughout the community
- United Way volunteer Courtney Woods-Hastings for her work supporting the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program as well as being a voice and advocate in the community for those in need
United Way also honored the companies and organizations who participated in its annual workplace campaign. These companies included Michelin North America, Prisma Health, Greenville County Schools, Publix Super Markets, GE, Canal Insurance Company, TD Bank, ITW Hartness, Fluor Corporation Greenville and Mitsubishi Polyester Film Inc.
The nonprofit also gave the Campaign Award of Excellence to 166 companies, the Chairman’s Award to 17 companies and the Campaign Award of Advancement to 16 companies for achieving a 25% increase in employee giving.
Other award recipients include:
- Endeavor Greenville, Premier Award
- Greenville Triumph Soccer Club, Premier Award
- NCEES, Premier Award
- Pacolet Milliken, Premier Award
- Wabtec, Premier Award
- Resurgent Capital Services, Most Creative Event Award
- Jacob Coursey with ITW Hartness, Outstanding Campaign Coordinator Award
- UBS Financial Services, Above and Beyond Campaign Award
- McMillan Pazdan Smith, Rising Star Engagement Award
- Prisma Health, All-Star Engagement Award
During the COVID-19 pandemic, United Way of Greenville County raised nearly $5 million for its COVID-19 Relief Fund and invested more than $13 million in Greenville County through grants, direct services, COVID-19 relief and strategic programs that serve the community every day.
