Contact:    Stuart Doyle
                            (407) 956-5689
 sdoyle@eflorida.com

Enterprise Florida staff campaign nets near $8,200 for local United Way

ORLANDO (November 16, 2009) – The Orlando staff of Enterprise Florida set a $7,000 fund-raising goal in late September when launching their annual United Way campaign.  When it ended last week, the total raised was $8,190.40.

  “This has been by far one of the most successful of the campaigns in Orlando,” said Juliana Peña, Enterprise Florida’s military and defense programs manager and 2009 United Way campaign co-chairman.  “The team was very enthusiastic, and our success says a lot about how much our company cares about its community.”

The beneficiary of this effort, Heart of Florida United Way, provides financial aid and resources to more than 300 nonprofit health and human service programs.  To highlight the need for United Way services, the campaign committee enlisted Muffet Robinson, communications and community relations director for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, to give an on-site crash course.  She described the demographic profile of today’s homeless population in Orlando and overviewed the wide range services the Coalition provides.  “This was a real eye-opener because of the large number of homeless people in the area,” said Pauline Jacobs, a support specialist in the Enterprise Florida’s Administration division.  “It really affects you when you learn that many average, hardworking folks who have hit hard times are among today’s homeless.” 

The campaign extended beyond the office.  Employees raised enough funds among themselves to purchase food items for 100 lunch bags, which they packed and delivered to the Coalition.  The 10 who made the deliveries served the lunches that day as well.  

“The majority of our resources come from people like you, said Brent Trotter, the Coalition’s president and CEO.  “Gifts to the Coalition are an investment in our community as are the thousands of volunteer hours donated each year.”  His organization helps almost 600 people daily, nearly 200 of whom are children whose average age is 7.  Last year, the Coalition served more than 300,000 meals.

To promote the cause further, the campaign leads raised funds through a series of lunch-time social activities including Bingo, a Nintendo Wii Tournament and a fund-raising competition between each Enterprise Florida division.  The losing division was to cater breakfast on-site for the staff.  However, the executive staff interceded and gave everyone a pancake and bacon start to their Friday morning. 

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Enterprise Florida, Inc. is a partnership between Florida's business and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for the state of Florida.  Headquartered in Orlando, Enterprise Florida’s mission is to diversify Florida’s economy and create better-paying jobs for its citizens by supporting, attracting and helping to create businesses in innovative, high-growth industries.  In pursuit of its mission, Enterprise Florida works closely with a statewide network of economic development partners and is funded both by the State of Florida and by private-sector businesses.

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