For all of you who invest in the potential of others – thank you. Like you, I want great things for our region. Every year the region rallies and mobilizes resources through United Way to help people. It is this same spirit of our region that, over time, can rally to create conditions to change the trajectory of a generation of people.

To change the trajectory of a generation, our region must prioritize education and job opportunities. Education is how most of us who moved out of poverty gained the skills and confidence to do so. The vision is simple: We need more kids graduating from high school and choosing two-or four-year degrees, trade or military careers, learning skills that position them to compete for the jobs of the 21st century. Since I was a kid in the 1970s until now, the solutions that have yielded the best results by any metric for communities are education, advanced training and jobs.

To achieve this vision we have to work differently. At one point in our history, it was sufficient to argue for access to basic education. Today we must argue for excellence in education for all children and provide the wraparound support to schools and teachers.

Let’s not splinter our effort.

Let’s work together towards a common vision.

Let’s keep pushing to get things done.

Thank you GREATER St. Louis for caring about your neighbors –from children to seniors. Thank you for investing your time and resources. The record $74,352,108 raised in the 2015 campaign, combined with other strategic investments such as grants, issue-based funding, and programs, puts United Way on pace to invest more than ever into changing lives in this region.

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