Nonprofit professionals under 40 unite around United Way Emerging Leaders at luncheon

Would you like to build your brand as a community leader by connecting with other young professionals? Do you share a passion for making a difference in our community in the key areas of education, income and health? Then you should consider becoming a part of United Way’s Emerging Leaders society made up of professionals 40 years and younger, helping United Way make a real difference in people’s lives and in our community. Young professionals from the area’s nonprofit sector (and many working with nonprofits in the United Way network) talked about using resources and time to create real and lasting change in our community. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson, President and CEO of United Way, spoke to the group about the benefits, events and activities of our Emerging Leaders Society as well as how they could make a difference as new members. “You work in nonprofits, you know what your organization does, you know the services you provide and you have a sense of the value of United Way to your agency,” Robinson said.

“I really want you to continue to plug in with us and become even stronger ambassadors for the United Way of the Mid-South. This is an activist role, this is a highly visible role, this is an extraordinarily valuable role and we’re very blessed to have you all in the positions where you are, in the jobs that you have, and the agencies you are representing,” Robinson said. He also noted that the presence of young professionals in the United Way network shows our system is filled with bright, young talent.

Robinson urged the young professionals to continue to move upward and onward in their ever more visible positions in the social and professional sphere. “Whatever you do and  whatever the problem is in our community, we can ‘live united and solve it together,'” Robinson said, echoing United Way’s popular slogan. For more information about becoming an Emerging Leader through United Way, please contact Karlisa Kuykindall at 901-433-4312 or karlisa.kuykindall@uwmidsouth.org A photo gallery is provided below. Click on an image to see it in a larger size.