The United Way of Central Georgia announced a campaign fundraising total for 2017 of $5.04 million, making it the most money UWCG has ever raised. It breaks the $5.01 million record set two years ago.
 
A group of people sitting at a table in front of a crowd

Description generated with very high confidenceUnited Way of Central Georgia Campaign Chair Spencer Strickland announced the total during its annual meeting, held at the Cary W. Martin Conference Center at the Houston Health Pavilion in Warner Robins.
 
“A heartfelt thanks to … our donors,” Strickland said during the lunchtime gathering of nearly 300 people.  “Thanks to you, services funded by United Way touch one out of every four people each year, and a dollar invested with (UWCG) results in a total community impact of $4.50.”
 
The meeting featured several awards for excellence over the past year.
 
2017 Lt. Randy Parker Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award – This year the award went to the Mercer University Student Body.  Mercer University reported that about 200 Mercer students worked as tutors for UWCG’s Read2Succeed program, which is part of the Read United initiative. Read United works to mentor young elementary students in the Bibb County schools so they can read at grade level by the third grade.
 
“Few communities could begin to afford to pay for the volunteer service provided by this year’s honorees,” UWCG President and CEO George McCanless said before giving student representatives the award, which is named after Randy Parker, a valued UWCG volunteer and firefighter who gave his life in the line of duty.  
 
2017 Jack Steed Lifetime Achievement Award – McCanless presented this award to Juanita Jordan, who helped launch the Peyton Anderson Foundation. She eventually became the foundation’s president. Because of her support, the foundation invested in the Read United program. She was instrumental in making the Peyton Anderson Community Services Center a reality in 1993. Jordan and the foundation also helped start the 211-information service that connects tens of thousands of Central Georgians to local services.
 
“Her unwavering commitment was to uphold the wishes of Peyton Anderson to ‘improve the quality of life in Macon and Middle Georgia for all its citizens,’” McCanless said. “Boy, was she ever successful at doing that.”
 
The Inaugural Juanita T. Jordan Community Impact Award – McCanless then announced a new honor from the United Way of Central Georgia and that it would be named after Jordan. The winner of this award: Jeff Battcher. Just a few of his works over the past year:

Landing a $250,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor for Mission United.

Seeing work begin for a $1.5 million youth development park by Matilda Hartley Elementary School.

Continuing to lead the charge in the Daybreak Sleepout for the Homeless fundraiser.
 
“These are just a sample of his many public contributions,” McCanless said. “Jeff also does a lot of things behind the scenes.”  Then McCanless told the story of how Jeff donate an SUV to a United Way employee who had no car and whose son traveled a long way by bus to get to school.
 
During the proceedings, Georgia Power’s Theresa Robinson, on behalf of John Rhea, Robins Federal Credit Union and current UWCG Board Chairman, passed along the gavel to Strickland, the new board chair.