United Way of Tarrant County held a community event Thursday at Globe Life Field in Arlington celebrating “Get United Day,” honoring the organization’s 100th birthday and its century of service to local communities.
UWTC and community leaders in attendance included Ms. Opal Lee, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross and former mayor Jeff Williams, Frost Bank President-Tarrant Region Hadley Woerner, and longtime Texas Rangers public address announcer Chuck Morgan. Together, they announced the vision, focus areas, and fundraising goals for the Get United campaign, which aims “to engage the public, businesses, and philanthropists in achieving a more prosperous and equitable future in Tarrant County.”
Commemorative mural unveiled
United Way of Tarrant County’s Get United event at Globe Life Field. [Photo: UWTC]
Today’s birthday party featured the unveiling of a 30-foot mural painted by Texas artist and Arlington native Jon McKenzie. The mural illustrates diverse people coming together to get united as a community. It will remain on display to the public at Globe Life Field, next to Arlington Backyard, through the holiday season.
In 2023, United Way of Tarrant County plans to bring the mural to neighborhoods across the county for additional community celebrations.
A long list of dignitaries recognized Get United Day
Attendees pull magnets marked with “facts of need” in Tarrant County at the Get United event. [Photo: United Way of Tarrant County]
The centennial birthday was celebrated countywide by official proclamation of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court as well as in the cities of Arlington, Euless, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Hurst, Keller, Mansfield, and Saginaw—each of which formally recognized Nov. 17, 2022, as “Get United Day.” Also recognizing the centennial, the organization said, were Texas first lady Cecilia Abbott and Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell, Texas Sen. Kelly Hancock, Texas Sen. Jane Nelson, Texas Sen. Beverly Powell, the entire Texas House of Representatives, and the Mayors Council of Tarrant County.
“We know the magic of United Way is twofold: identifying and understanding the needs of Tarrant County and building trust in programs to address tough problems facing our region, from food insecurity to youth gun violence to maternal health outcomes and more,” Jeff Williams said in a statement. “Through Get United, we can grow the role of a convener in bringing resources to the table and truly become 64 ZIP codes working to not only fix problems but also to tackle the reasons they exist in the first place.”
The Get United campaign targets four key focus areas
Here are the four key focus areas being targeted by the Get United campaign:
- Community response — providing the basics for daily needs, disaster relief, and military and veteran families.
- Community health — ensuring a community where everyone can be safe and healthy, with a particular focus on underserved neighbors, women, children, older adults, and those with disabilities.
- Financial empowerment — equipping individuals with the tools for independence, from financial literacy to stable housing and transportation.
- Education and learning — preparing the current and future workforce to contribute to their own success and to their community.
Challenging 100,000 residents to sign up to learn more in the next 100 days
Attendee holding a magnet with a “fact of need” in Tarrant County. [Photo: United Way of Tarrant County]
At today’s event, United Way of Tarrant County and campaign leaders challenged 100,000 residents to sign up to learn about the Get United campaign in the next 100 days. People can learn about the issues facing Tarrant County and how to contribute or volunteer at getunitedtarrant.org.
Early contributors to Get United—including GM Financial, BNSF Railway, and the Rainwater Charitable Foundation—joined Williams, King, Woerner, and Lee onstage at today’s event for a moment of reflection as attendees pulled hundreds of magnets labeled with “facts of need” in Tarrant County.
“Get United is about drawing the public’s attention to what their neighbors need and sharing the vision with private and corporate contributors of what it will take to make positive, transformational change in Tarrant County,” said Woerner, who also serves as chair of the United Way board of directors.
To learn more about United Way of Tarrant County, you can go here.
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