Year-Round Engagement: Weidenhammer Systems Corporation

Year-Round Engagement: Weidenhammer Systems Corporation

During the 2017 United Way of Berks County Campaign, over $10.5 million was raised to address our county’s critical issues and to make our community a better place for everyone. UWBC surpassed the goal of $10.3 million due to the hard work and generosity of our community and their passion to Live United, not only during Campaign season, but throughout the entire year.

The United Way Committee at Weidenhammer Systems Corporation has adopted the Live Untied spirit. The committee is comprised of six members who are led by Campaign Coordinator, Jim Bitler. Jim is a long time United Way volunteer with close to 30 Campaigns to his tenure, and with his experience, he knows how to achieve successful results. In the 2017 Campaign, Weidenhammer raised over $36,000. The committee is able to achieve such success due to their year-round commitment to sharing the United Way message.

One of the ways they focus on sharing the message is through various events. The first of many is their annual Chili Cook-Off the Friday before the Super Bowl, and this year the committee is celebrating their 20th cook- off. The event consists of employees entering their own chili recipes, to be judged by their peers, with the hopes of winning the best-tasting chili prize. The rest of the staff participates by paying a small donation to enjoy an all-you-can-eat chili buffet and enjoys time socializng with their coworkers, with the hopes of winning the 50/50 raffle at the end of the event. The funds from this event are donated to the Olivet Boys and Girls Club.

With the Live United spirit at the heart of the Weidenhammer committee, they are able to achieve great success. Charlotte Fidler, a committee volunteer of 18 years, shared, “The United Way is a good thing. Doing this work benefits everyone.”

Cheyanne King, a new member to the committee, shared, “I was involved with the United Way in high school and as soon as I started working with Weidenhammer, I joined the committee because I like to be a part of an organization that helps people that I am not able to reach.”

According to the committee, this mindset is fostered by Weidenhammer’s leadership team, beginning with John Weidenhammer, the Company’s President and CEO, and a long-time United Way supporter and volunteer. Weidenhammer is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and they are planning to celebrate in a Live United fashion by allowing all employees the opportunity to participate in United Way of Berks County’s Day of Caring in September.

In the months to come, the committee is planning on participating in the upcoming Campaign Planning Workshops to strengthen their Campaign efforts, but until then they are going to continue to spread the Live United message to their peers at Weidenhammer and to their community.