Lake City — United Way of Suwannee Valley cordially invites all business leaders and community members to attend its annual community fundraising campaign kick-off event. The event will be conducted at the Florida Gateway College Howard Conference Center on Friday, Sept. 2. A breakfast buffet of pancakes (blueberry, pecan or plain with fruit toppings), bacon and sausage, fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee and water will be served from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. with the program to follow.  The meal price is $9. The theme for the breakfast is “Start your day with United Way.”

The featured speaker will be Alvin “Al” Plymel, who previously made a presentation as a leader in the business community at the local United Way’s campaign report luncheon in Hamilton County and shared his passion for caring for our neighbors. Plymel is a 1989 graduate of Lafayette County High School, Mayo, and a 2007 graduate of Lake City Community College (now Florida Gateway College). He is currently enrolled at North Florida Bible College. Plymel is married to Rachel, his high school sweetheart and now wife of 20 years. The couple has one son, Hayden, who is in the eighth grade in the Suwannee County School system. Plymel is a deacon at Westside Baptist Church, Live Oak.  Plymel’s motto is, “All things within God’s will are possible.” Plymel is the service center manager for Altaquip in Jasper. The company is a repair facility for outdoor power equipment. The company primarily services Lowe’s and Home Depot stores and also serves walk-in business.

The event kicks off the community fundraising campaign, which has as its theme “The Art of Giving.” Local artists have been invited to display their work at the kick off and monthly campaign report luncheons rotated around locations in Suwannee, Hamilton and Columbia counties. The table decorations for the kick-off event will be art work produced by preschool children and after-school program participants at Happy House. Throughout the campaign season the report luncheons will include agencies presenting on the campaign theme.

“Our United Way Communications Committee felt it should try a kick-off event in the morning as opposed to the usual evening dinner events.  Families are so busy with extracurricular activities, the breakfast event is intended to be a beginning to the work day,” said Rob Wolfe, chair of the Communications Committee, which is responsible for planning the campaign events. “The committee was very intentional about setting the buffet time to allow parents with children to get children off to school or day care before joining others who can arrive earlier. All are invited and encouraged to join our community in celebrating our local United Way and in supporting our annual community fundraising campaign.”

Reservations are required and may be made by contacting the United Way office at 386-752-5604 x 102 by Aug. 26. Tables of eight can be reserved by either families or businesses. Make checks payable to United Way of Suwannee Valley, Inc. 325 NE Hernando Avenue, Lake City, FL 32055.

United Way of Suwannee Valley is a community impact and fundraising organization which, utilizing volunteers on all levels, advances the common good by identifying unmet community needs and seeking to alleviate those needs through United Way of Suwannee Valley initiatives and the funding of 23 affiliated health and human service agencies.