More than 300 supporters gathered last week at Festival Hall to celebrate United Way of Racine County’s 2025 community campaign.
United Way of Racine County president and CEO Ali Haigh, United Way board chair Laura Million and 2025 campaign chair Hope Otto shared highlights of the annual campaign and the impact created by United Way of Racine County and the programs and agencies supported by the donations to the campaign.
“Victory is the perfect way to wrap up our community campaign and focus on the work being done in Racine County to help build a healthy community, create opportunities for our youth and help families build financial stability,” said Ali Haigh, president and CEO of United Way of Racine County. “It’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible when our community comes together with purpose. It’s how United Way of Racine County was able to help 88,000 Racine County residents last year.”
A highlight of the evening’s program was hearing from organizations supported by United Way of Racine County. Amelia Fahnrich and Laura Anderson from Sonnenberg Schools spoke about the students helped by the United Way-funded program that helps participants gain independence.
Lakesha Davis of Lovingkindness Transitional Services spoke about her journey from homelessness to starting the nonprofit that helps people find housing stability.
“When United Way invests in organizations like mine, they invest in real lives, real families, and real opportunities for people to rebuild. They make it possible for us to stand in the gap,” Davis told the crowd. “Your donations don’t just fund programs. They fuel transformation. They reconnect families. They strengthen families. They empower small grassroots organizations to create big, lasting impact.”
Several organizations and individuals were honored with awards:
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2025 Employee Campaign Champion of the Year: Evana Stone, Festival Foods Mount Pleasant
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2025 Michael Batten Advancing the Common Good Award: Liz Powell, Racine Community Foundation
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2025 SC Johnson Loyal Contributor Award:
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2025 Chairman’s Award: E.C. Styberg Engineering Co.
Million, who is the deputy director of RCEDC, also recognized Otto, Racine County Human Services Director, for her work as 2025 campaign chair before announcing Mark Behrens, retired chief financial officer of Johnson Financial Group, as the 2026 chair of the community campaign.