2012 Turkey Trot a BIG Success! 

The crew that put the 2012 Turkey Trot together!

Pilgrim’s Pride hosted its 3^rdAnnual Turkey Trot 5K  Thursday, Nov. 22. The turnout was the largest so far - 211 runners turned up for the race. The weather was beautiful, everyone had a great time and it was all for a great cause - the money raised will be donated to the Nacogdoches County United Way. 

John Thomasson, Area HR Director for Pilgrim's Pride and the 2012 NCUW Chairman, was pleased with this year's race.

"Pulling off a race like this is not a trivial event. It required an enormous amount of work, planning and sacrifices on everyone's part."

Thomasson also added that the race raised several thousand dollars for the 19 agencies the United Way partners with. 

For more information about NCUW, please visit our website, www.unitedwaynac.com, or call us at (936)564-5869.

3rd Annual Pilgrim's Pride Turkey Trot 5K

Pilgrim’s Pride will be hosting its 3^rd Annual Turkey Trot 5K to raise money for the Nacogdoches County United Way Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 22). The entire Nacogdoches community is invited to come out and start their “turkey day” off right with an invigorating 5K run/walk. Participants can work up an appetite before the parades, football and feasting begins, and all for a great cause.

The registration fee will be $30 the day of the race, and all proceeds from the race will benefit the United Way. In addition to recognition for the winners, the first 150 people who register will receive a t-shirt and prizes will also be awarded for the best Thanksgiving costume. All ages are welcome to come enjoy the fun and Live United!

The race will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Pecan Park Pavilion on Starr Avenue. Runners are asked to arrive between 7-8:15 a.m. to pick up their race packet and to register if they haven’t already done so. The race will end back at the Pecan Park Pavilion, and all prizes and awards will be presented at 10 a.m.

For those with Active.com accounts, the Turkey Trot listing can be found by searching the site for “3rd Annual Pilgrims Turkey Trot.”

Last year’s race attracted some 130 runners and walkers from around the state.

For more information, visit the NCUW website www.unitedwaynac.com or contact Laurie King of Pilgrim’s Pride at (936)558-6819 or laurie.king@pilgrims.com. 

NCUW's 60th Year Celebration a success

Photo by Gabrielle Rambo/Daily Sentinel

The Nacogdoches County United Way had a lot to celebrate at its 60^th year anniversary Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Rex Perry Autoplex. Over 30 people came out to enjoy the festivities Tuesday night, which included the official closing of the 2013 Live United Campaign as well as handing over the keys of the Rex Perry  Drive United car to the winner, Doris Berry.

The evening began with a ribbon cutting for the “next 60 years of the NCUW” by Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce staff Bruce Partain, president, and Kelly Daniel, membership and marketing manager.

Gary Lee Ashcraft, president and CEO of NCUW emceed the first half of the evening and thanked all of the volunteers who have made the 2013 Live United Campaign such a success this year, including the Board of Directors, Loaned Executives and Campaign Development Team.

“Because of the hard work of all of our volunteers, NCUW was able to raise $360,000 this year,” Ashcraft said.

A video about Drive United Giveaway winner Doris Berry was then shown, and then Chris Wigington, campaign chair for NCUW, then handed the mic over to Rex Perry so he could officially hand over the keys to Berry’s new 2013 Hyundai Accent.

Wigington concluded the event by saying that NCUW has even bigger plans for next year with a $400,000 stretch goal for the 2014 Live United Campaign.

Drive United Giveaway winner announced

Friday, Nov. 9, Nacogdoches County United Way volunteers and Rex Perry, of Rex Perry Autoplex, surprised the staff of Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital during a staff lunch by announcing that Doris Berry, a medical necessity nurse was the winner of the Rex Perry Autoplex DRIVE UNITED Giveaway.

The giveaway, a new addition to the Live United Campaign, allowed those who pledged to give at least $208 in 2013 with a chance to win a 2013 Hyundai Accent from Rex Perry Autoplex.

Berry, who has worked at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital for the past 10 years, says that she has been giving to the United Way for years, and has always encouraged others to give as well.

“Years ago, they [United Way] helped my mom; when we didn’t have what we needed, they were always there to help us,” Berry said in an interview with KTRE Friday after she was announced as the winner. “Giving to the United Way, you’re always blessing somebody else, people you never even knew about, and that’s what people did for us when we were coming up.”

The whole room erupted in cheers and applause when Berry was announced as the winner, and many, including Berry and Rex Perry, were in tears. Perry said he couldn’t have picked a better person to win the car than Berry.

Due to the state of the economy, Berry almost didn’t give to the United Way this year, but said that something in her said: “You need to give, because that’s the main reason for someone else to have [what they need]. You’ve got to give.”

Berry didn’t even know that she had qualified to be entered into the giveaway, saying that she gave because “it was the right thing to do.”

“I didn’t even care if I won or not, but I knew that someone was going to be blessed by my giving. I really thank God that he showed me that if you give with an unselfish heart, just give to give, He will benefit you.”

The 2013 Live United Campaign ran from the kickoff on Aug. 28 through Nov. 7. The goal for this year’s campaign was $325,000, and because of the many donors like Doris Berry, as well as the hard work of countless volunteers, NCUW was able to surpass that goal, reporting $359,000 as of Nov. 9.

“Transitioning to the Community Impact model has given us the capacity to involve more volunteers, resulting in such a productive campaign,” Gary Lee Ashcraft, President and CEO of NCUW said. “Everyone’s beginning to get what it is that United Way does for this community.”

To celebrate the end of the campaign, as well as officially giving the car away to Berry, NCUW would like to invite the community to its 60^th Year Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Rex Perry Autoplex. This is a family-friendly event, and all are welcome. As part of NCUW’s partnership with the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce, there will also be a ribbon cutting to commemorate the next 60 years of Living United in Nacogdoches County.