“During a phase of transition for Butler County United Way, Karen took the lead as Board of Trustees chair, working through the many levels of reorganization,” the agency said in announcing the award.
“She stayed on as chair longer than the normal term to ensure continuity in the process. She has provided leadership and advice on many projects and initiatives for our organization. She has opened her home to us for donor leadership events and has proven over and over again that she is a lifelong supporter of our mission and vision.”
Volunteer of the Year was Jeff Eberlein, a partner and brand consultant with Brand It For Good. Eberlein joined the United Way board in July 2018 but had been an important sounding board and adviser well before that, officials said. He came from a advertising agency background and offered advice on what concepts have worked and what had not been as effective.
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The Junior Volunteer of the Year award went to Emily Callahan, a student intern from Miami University, for her spearheading the launch of the Student United Way Chapter on Miami’s Oxford campus.
Miami University itself received the Spirit of Collaboration Award for its collaboration with United Way in developing the CommUnity Connect portal that provides an easy connection for people looking to volunteer. The website is www.bc-unitedway.org/volunteeropportunities.
The LIVE UNITED Partnership Award went to Express Scripts, which has increased its support for United Way through workforce campaign donations and also volunteer events and participation in special events. Through the United Way, Express Scripts employees worked with the American Red Cross to install smoke alarms in targeted areas of Fairfield to keep families and children safe.
The Building Block Award went to Katrinka Stone for her support of the monthly Building Block events, where volunteers do things like create literacy kits for preschoolers, put together hygiene kits that are distributed at local food pantries, plus other basic-needs care packages.
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