Dillon Roberts, Merideth Egan and Jeff Petersen. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

As Jeff Petersen, United Way of Indian River County board chairman, welcomed community and business leaders, philanthropists and representatives of UW partner agencies to the annual Community Leaders’ Breakfast at the Quail Valley River Club, he noted that the United Way helps local individuals live up to their full potential by funding programs focused on education, financial stability and health.

“The programs we fund in our community are those that have a well-worn path to success. They have proved what their efficacy is in our community. The missing link here is the extra dollars to help get that job done,” said Petersen.

Although known for its great wealth, our county also has areas of extreme poverty. Nearly 11 percent live below the federal poverty level and, as of the April 2023 ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report, 45 percent struggle to meet basic needs.

Petersen introduced a very poised Jasmine Taylor, this year’s Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year, who gave the invocation. Commenting that she will graduate high school with an incredible 60 college credits, he described her as “somebody who has exemplified what well-funded programs can do for our community.”

“So how many of you have really thought about the phrase ‘Live United’?” asked Meredith Egan, UWIRC CEO.

“To me, it’s something to strive for, even after all these years. It makes me strive to be the best that I can and inspires me and my team to coordinate and collaborate with our over 40 partners in our community,” said Egan, adding that the United Way has assisted the community in good times and bad.

“Living United is an invitation to become part of an effort to improve our community collaboratively. It means that we show up for each other when we’re needed the most. It’s we instead of me,” said Egan. “We thrive when we join forces.”

She commended the outstanding work undertaken by UW partner agencies, who continually need to adapt as the demand for their services continues to rise.

“It’s a daily, daunting test, but I can tell you that the providers in our community are more vital than ever,” said Egan, before speaking about two new initiatives.

An Affordable Housing Task Force has resulted in an action plan to increase the supply of affordable housing, and the Access to Justice Initiative, in collaboration with the John’s Island Community Service League, John’s Island Foundation and the Indian River County Clerk of the Court, established a new Legal Self-Help Center, giving people the resources and support needed to represent themselves in family law, small claims and civil legal proceedings.

The guest speaker was John Wensveen, chief innovation officer at Nova Southeastern University and executive director of the Allen B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation, which calls itself the world’s first theme park for entrepreneurs. “My job is to make people feel very uncomfortable about the future, but in a very positive way so that we can start to think about things right now, so that we can have a better tomorrow,” said Wensveen, who went on to speak about today’s emerging technologies, some of which are as frightening as they are fascinating, and their global impacts.

Chris Bieber, SouthState Bank SVP, presented the Richardson Spirit of Indian River County Workplace Award to Gould Cooksey Fennell, for its continual support through sponsorships, volunteerism and as a dedicated workplace partner.

The Richardson Spirit Award of Special Recognition was presented to Ruth Durkee-Killinger, a longtime volunteer with the UW Income Tax Assistance Program. Under her leadership, nearly 8,000 tax returns have been filed at no cost to residents.

The prestigious Ralph T. King Award was presented to County Commissioner Susan Adams by last year’s recipient, Margo Lind, VP at Seacoast Bank.

In addition to her tireless advocacy on behalf of the community, Adams served as a UW board member for 10 years. She is currently focused on advancing affordable housing and facilitating access to mental health services for everyone.

For more information, visit UnitedWayIRC.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis