United Way Community Campaign

United Way Fox Cities | 2017 5 Each year the United Way Community Campaign brings together committed volunteers who lead our efforts to raise the funds that address our most pressing problems. This year we are pleased to have David G. Voss, Jr. of Miron Construction Co. Inc., and Dustin McClone of McClone leading our 2017 campaign. Co-chairs David G. Voss, Jr. of Miron Construction, Co., Inc., Dustin McClone of McClone. D ustin McClone and David G. Voss, Jr. are enthusiastic about the great community they live in. ey also are committed to making sure that all people who live here have the opportunity to succeed. As Dave and Dustin prepared to lead the 2017 United Way community campaign, they shared their passion to fight for the Fox Cities. Dustin McClone approached our United Way nine years ago looking for a way to get involved. "I saw there was great community leadership, but the younger generations were not as connected. I knew that I want to get involved and give back and so did my peers, but we needed a platform. Once we built the Emerging Leaders program, people joined in quicker than we could imagine. When we started in 2008 we had 12 people in our community that were considered Emerging Leaders — today we have over 950. It makes me realize, once again, how incredible our community is and how we continue to find more ways to give back and keep our community strong." Dave Voss agrees that we need to focus on our youth to have the most impact in changing the cycle of poverty, poor health, and gaps in education. "We know that today's youth will be tomorrow's leaders and we want to ensure they have the head start on life that they deserve." "I was astonished when I heard a physician speak at a United Way event about the importance of early childhood education. He shared that he can gain a better understanding of a child's development by watching the child interact with his/her parent and a book than he could by conducting a physical examination. It absolutely astounded me to hear that by the age of 5, people can accurately predict who will complete high school and college and who won't. It shows how absolutely critical those first few years of a person's life really are, and it's up to all of us to invest in bettering the quality of life for kids in our community if we want to ensure that our communities, our industries, and our country thrive in the future. "e Fox Cities are renowned for our high quality of life, but we must work together to maintain and improve that quality. We want every individual who lives in this community to live a long, healthy, and happy life, and we have a responsibility as business leaders and community members to make that happen." UW Caring for Community B y N a n c i M i c k e

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