Remarks to BJC Healthcare Charmaine Chapman Society Leadership Giving members and prospects 

by Yinka Faleti 

10.28.16 

Good evening! How’s everyone doing?

It’s great to be here with you.

My name is  Yinka Faleti; I’m a Senior Vice President at United Way; I lead our division that does  the fundraising and volunteer engagement.

Thanks for allowing me a few minutes to  share with you about United Way. I thank Steve Lipstein for his leadership not only  here at BJC, but also for his leadership of the region-wide United Way campaign. He  has been absolutely wonderful, and I’d say that if he weren’t here. He’s gone  everywhere we’ve asked him to go. He’s called everyone we’ve asked him to call. He’s  emailed everyone we’ve asked him to email. And he somehow still manages to run  BJC. It’s leaders like Steve that assure the future of our region remains bright. So, thank you, Steve.…I know many of you are part of the BJC team that contributed to  BJC’s United Way campaign last year. So, thank you for your contribution to last  year’s campaign. Your gifts went out into the community to literally transform lives. For others of you, this might be your first year at BJC or maybe you’re just peeking  over the fence at United Way to learn more. Thank you for being here. I hope that  what you learn today will help you as you determine your level of engagement in this year’s United Way campaign. 

BJC has three things in common with Lumiere Casino/Four Seasons: you’ve got nice  rooms.… Right? You’ve got great customer service. Right? I see you all nodding.  And the third thing you have in common: You’re in the business of odds, just as  Lumiere is in the business of odds. The one important difference here is that when  someone comes to BJC, their odds of recovery actually go up.

And speaking of odds, the new NBA season just began. And I can’t help but think of  something truly incredible that happened against all odds just a few months back. Now  dubbed as the “Cleveland Comeback,” what the Cleveland Cavaliers did in their series against the Golden State Warriors was incredible. How many of you saw Game 7 of  the NBA Finals or read about it or heard about it? Some of you basketball fanatics remember  exactly where you were when it happened. The end of the story is that the Cleveland  Cavaliers came back to defeat the Golden State Warriors—on the road in Oakland— after being down 3 games to 1 in that best of 7 series.  

But here’s the beginning of the story: Since 1947, no team in NBA history had ever  come back in the championship series from a 3-1 deficit. … Ever. … In Game 7, the  home team is 15-3 in Game 7 of the NBA finals. The last time a road team won  Game 7 of the NBA Finals was 1978. What’s more, the Cavaliers weren’t just facing  any ol’ team: They were facing the team with the best regular season record of any  team in the history of the NBA. The Warriors were 73-9 in the regular season. The  Golden State Warriors had won more regular season games than any team in NBA  history, including the 1995/1996 Chicago Bulls who went 72-10, led by Michael  Jordan. The Warriors had the best offense of any team in the NBA. They had  undoubtedly the best shooter in the NBA in Steph Curry on their team. In short, the  odds were completely stacked against Cleveland. But the Cleveland Cavaliers  changed their odds: with each game they won, their odds got better and better and  better. Until they tied the series at three games apiece and then their odds got really  good. And they came back to pull off arguably the greatest comeback and arguably  the greatest upset in all of sport in all of time. …They did it…by changing their  odds. 

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So, too, it is with the odds for children and families in need in our region. Since 1922,  because of people like you, United Way has been helping people in need in our region  change their odds: For our children who are living in multigenerational poverty, the  odds are pretty stacked against them. Because of people like you, United Way is able  to help them change their odds. For our children who lack access to good early  childhood education, which we know is critical not only for those first crucial years of  life but for all of life, the odds are pretty stacked against them. Because of people like  you, United Way is able to help them change their odds. For youth who lack real  access to college, we know the odds are pretty stacked against them. A college  education is an imperative for most of our society today. But because of people like  you, United Way is able to help them change their odds. For elderly who are  struggling with Alzheimer’s; for working families who are struggling with basic needs;  for people with disabilities; for people who lost their job through no fault of their  own; for children and adults with autism; for people who got injured at work; for  people who are battling a life-threatening illness; for our children in our community  who didn’t win the birth lottery and who certainly didn’t win the zip code lottery.  United Way is helping them to change their odds—because of your giving, because of  your engagement. 

One of the best ways to change the odds for children and families all over our region  is to contribute as a Leadership Giver. Leadership Giving is a gift of $1000 or more  annually to United Way. You can give $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $6,000, whatever you’re  comfortable giving within your capacity to give. For simple example, if you give  $1000 a year, that’s $84/month or $42/pay period if you’re compensated biweekly. But Leadership Giving is a bit more than just the numbers. It’s for people who read  the headlines; who understand the issue plaguing our community and want to do something about it. It’s for people who understand that for those of us who have  capacity to help, our community needs us to stand up and lead. It’s for people who  understand well that living on this earth and living in this community isn’t simply  about me; it’s about we. 

That’s what Leadership Giving is. And as a Leadership Giver, you get to give in  community with other Leaders from all over the region from all manner of industry.  We have the Women’s Leadership Society, Men’s Leadership Society, Multicultural  Leadership Society, and Charmaine Chapman Leadership Society. One gift allows you  to engage in any and all of those societies you want to. And we engage our  Leadership Givers with exclusive networking events, educational forums,  volunteer opportunities, and more. 

As I close, so, those are some of the benefits of Leadership Giving. But the real benefit of Leadership Giving is knowing that you are changing the lives of 1 of every  3 human beings in this region. That’s one million people in this region—every year.  That’s powerful.….If you contributed to the United Way campaign last year, thank  you for your gift that went to change lives. Please consider increasing your gift this  year to help meet the increasing need. If you’re new to BJC or learning about United Way for the first time, I hope that what you’ve learned today will help you as you  consider your level of engagement in this year’s BJC campaign for United Way.

Thank  you very much.