A truly 'Encredible' United Way campaign in Houston

With a superhero theme modeled after The Incredibles, we raised a record $825,000

By Megan Perkins, Co-Chair, Enbridge’s 2014 Houston United Way Campaign

Serving as this year’s Houston campaign co-chair has been a richly rewarding experience that I would summarize with a single, misspelled word.

Encredible!

Together with co-chair Jesse Mayer and executive sponsor Chris Kaitson, we challenged the Houston office to Be Encredible: Commit to Make a Difference through our superhero theme, modeled after the Pixar movie The Incredibles. We’re ecstatic to report that our employees and contractors more than delivered – raising over $825,000, including employee donations, special events, and company matching. That’s a record-setting total, surpassing our previous banner year by more than $250,000.

Greg Harper, president of Enbridge’s Gas, Pipelines and Processing division, and Chris, who’s Enbridge Energy Partners’ vice-president of U.S. law and deputy general counsel, were both actively involved in the Houston campaign from a leadership standpoint – and their commitment to Enbridge’s involvement in the community proved contagious.

This was Chris’s third time serving as campaign executive sponsor; his passion for this cause is palpable. And while he’s no stranger to United Way campaigns, this was Greg’s first with Enbridge – and he brought new ideas and a firm commitment to reaching our goal of $600,000. Greg even served as one of his floor’s campaign ambassadors.

Our volunteer steering committee consisted of 19 event planners, 12 support personnel, and 30 floor ambassadors. Known as Encredible Sidekicks (because every superhero needs a sidekick – or 30, as the case may be), these floor ambassadors proved an invaluable support system our “encredible” steering committee needed to make each event a success.

The 2014 Enbridge United Way campaign in Houston ran from Oct. 9 to 23, following the city-wide kickoff hosted at the United Way of Greater Houston’s downtown headquarters. Highlights of Enbridge’s Houston campaign included:

• Our own Houston office 2014 launch event, which drew about 300 employees, included entertainment by the Harbor Lights Choir, and featured five United Way-sponsored agencies on hand to educate employees about the United Way of Greater Houston's work in the community;
• Our Encredible Givers breakfast, held to encourage employees to become leadership-level givers to the United Way, with Pierce Bush (grandson of President George H.W. Bush, and executive vice-president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston) holding court as guest speaker;
• The Susan Miller Day of Caring, with more than 60 employees demonstrating their superpowers by volunteering for hands-on labor projects – painting, wood finishing, fence cleaning and repairing – as well as daycare assistance at the Star of Hope Transitional Living Center;
• Our pledging campaign, with two onsite pledge events that included superhero-themed snacks, drinks, and Wii interactive games, that raised $300,772.20 before corporate matching;
• Mr. Encredible’s Online and Silent Auction, with nearly 150 items collected through employee and community donations (including coveted Houston Texans swag), which raised $29,117 before match;
• Sales of wristbands (otherwise known as Elastigirl Stretchable Bands) for $25 apiece that granted jeans-wearing privileges at work, a project that raised $11,300 before match;
• And our Encredibles Celebrate campaign wrap-up and thank-you event at the Bayou Music Center, with a live auction and live music from the Houston office’s very own band The Street, that collected $21,750 before match.

The dramatic increase in dollars raised, as well as employee participation, can be attributed to a variety of factors. But the bottom line is this: our employees, and our leaders, truly believe in giving back to the community.