The United Way of Indian River County honored its highest-level donors at the fourth annual Alexis de Tocqueville Society Gala last Wednesday evening the John’s Island Golf Club. The 78 philanthropic members of the de Tocqueville Society, who donate a minimum of $10,000 annually, generously contributed more than one-third of last year’s campaign dollars.
“It’s amazing what people can do when they put their mind to it. It’s been very rewarding,” said Fritz Blaicher, de Tocqueville steering committee chairman, noting that nine new members were added to the membership this year.
The society is named for the French historian and author Alexis de Tocqueville, who in 1831 praised Americans for their volunteerism and spirit of giving. Members’ generosity enables the United Way to achieve its mission to “improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.” The local United Way established its de Tocqueville Society more than 20 years ago.
At this year’s event, Crossover Mission co-founders Antoine Jennings and Catherine De Schouwer shared their story of how two people from vastly different backgrounds crossed the cultural and socio-economic divide; coming together to create an athletics-based, after-school program for at-risk youth in our community.
After a gourmet dinner, Vaughn Bryson introduced keynote speaker John Lechleiter, Ph.D., widely respected for his tenure as the CEO and board chairman of the pharmaceutical corporation Eli Lily and Company. Lechleiter spoke to guests from his unique perspective as a longtime United Way donor. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of United Way Worldwide.
“The United Way is in the position to help others because of the generosity of all the folks in this room, which enables us to work with innovative solution providers like Antoine and Cathy; the kind of people who have a real impact in our communities,” said Lechleiter, referencing Jennings and De Schouwer.
“You can see from their example how critical your support is to the United Way of Indian River County. You are making a significant impact on the outcomes of the young people in this community.”
He noted that the United Way started as a small collective effort in Denver, Colo., 130 years ago, and today is a global network.
“No organization can survive that long and grow as large as the United Way is today without innovating and transforming itself to meet the changing demands of its mission,” Lechleiter added.
“At the United Way, we are certainly not just about fundraising anymore. The old business model simply doesn’t work in today’s world. Our mission today is about advancing our common good and improving the lives of all of our fellow citizens in areas that include education, financial stability, health and basic needs.”
To achieve sustainable community change, the United Way uses an integrated approach with government, business and the philanthropic sector to achieve shared goals.
“There is a lot that has changed about the United Way in recent years, as you’ve been hearing,” said Michael Kint, United Way of Indian River County CEO. “Our transition from just a fundraising organization to a community impact organization is now fairly complete. Big challenges, though, are not solved by one nonprofit at a time. The key to social change is working together. We win by living united.”
