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Coach: Get off sidelines, United Way kick off Fund-raising season
Fort Collins Coloradoan
September 27, 2002
United Way in the News

The Fort Collins Office and the United Way of Loveland, Berthoud and Estes Park kicked-off their annual fund-raising season Thursday with messages from two celebrated football coaches.

Colorado State University football coach Sonny Lubick, honorary United Way chairman, introduced keynote speaker Herman Boone, who gained widespread recognition through the movie "Remember the Titans," starring Denzel Washington. Both spoke at the kickoff event at the Fort Collins High School McNeal Performing Arts Center, 3400 Lambkin Way.

The coaches used football as an analogy for the teamwork necessary for the two organizations across the county.

"I’m one of the guys who gets a lot of credit and doesn’t do too much," Lubick said. "The real people are the people in the trenches, the people who don’t care about getting the credit. That’s how you are successful."

Boone, who in the early 1970’s, worked to unify members of a racially integrated high school football team in Alexandria, Va., and led them to a state championship, urged audience members to become "agents of the campaign."

"To be successful in any campaign, you simply cannot sit on the sidelines," Boone said.

This is the first year the Fort Collins Office and the United Way of Loveland, Berthoud and Estes Park are combining their fund-raising campaigns. The boards of the two organizations are considering merging to continue such joint efforts.

"The boards are looking into it. Nothing is defined. But we are trying to work on the details," said Bob Hix, president of the Loveland Office. "We want to do the right thing as efficiently and effectively as possible."

"If they reach this year’s fund-raising goal, it will be the largest annual increase in the history of the two organizations’ campaigns", said campaign chairman Gerard Nalezny. Last year, the two United Way raised about $4.3 million dollars.

"We joined our campaigns because it’s simply more efficient." Nalezny said. "We set (the target) not based on what we think we can raise but based on what we need to raise."

He stressed the economic recession has spiked the need for services provided by the United Way. Organizations that receive United Way funds attend to community needs such as education, literacy, affordable housing, counseling and affordable day care, to name a few.

"I was surprised at everything they do in the community," said Loveland resident Vanessa Klinker who attended the event with her daughter Kayla, 11, "It’s amazing."

-By Kelli Lackett

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