Our Third Annual Speaker Series event--Lee & Bob Woodruff

We've heard a lot of positive feedback so far about our Third Annual Speaker Series event with Lee & Bob Woodruff. Everyone who attended said the presentation was captivating; the discussion of veterans' needs and the impact on family and community was positive and fruitful.

We thought it was great that the Woodruffs referenced United Way in their speech, and mentioned the United Way's three focus areas (Education, Financial Stability, Health), and how these issues resonated with their own experiences in dealing with tragedy. This drove home to the crowd how important United Way is on so many different levels, not just locally or nationally, but worldwide. Lee Woodruff's point about everyone having their own personal tragedy to relate to theirs was very touching and struck a chord with the crowd and made everyone able to relate.

The event was a very personal experience, and even though it was a huge crowd, it seemed intimate the way it was set up, as if it could have happened in our living rooms as a discussion, rather than being just another public speaking event. The VIP reception was elegant but conducive to discussion with the Woodruffs and with other's attending.

A special “thank you” to presenting sponsor Wachovia and all of our other sponsors for making the event happen!

If you attended last night's event, we'd love to hear your observations as well--don't hesitate to offer a comment on Bob and Lee Woodruff's story.

From today's Daily Texan:

"You don't have to be hit by a bomb in Iraq to know what it feels like to have a difficulty or a tragedy and then try and overcome it as a family," said Lee Woodruff. "I think it's a story a lot of people can relate to and it's a story of hope and it's a story of community, which is something United Way knows a lot about."

Lee Woodruff also recounted tales of soldiers who came back from Iraq with physical and emotional injuries and needed the financial and job search services organizations that United Way could provide.

Bob and Lee Woodruff present.

Bill Wilson, President, Central Texas Region, Wachovia Bank and 2007 United Way Campaign Co-Chair, introduces the speakers