A good crowd turned out at last week’s joint Soldotna/Kenai Chamber of Commerce meeting to hear a Borough update from Mayor Mike Navarre.  Supporters of the Kenai Peninsula United Way were on hand to receive a generous contribution from ConocoPhillips Kenai Peninsula employees in the amount of nearly $19,000. ConocoPhillips employee Ray Tauriainen represented the Cook Inlet Employee Workplace Campaign and presented the check to 2013 UW Campaign Chair Gary Turner and executive director Lisa Roberts.  The local Chair of the employee campaign and a cabinet member of the 2013 Kenai Peninsula United Way is Peter Micciche, who is currently on a leave of absence serving in the Alaska Senate. 

We interviewed Peter during the 2013 United Way kickoff in the fall of 2013, when he said, “I’m proud to help with the ConocoPhillips campaign and employees here in Cook Inlet in their support of United Way.  Not only do they contribute generously year-after-year, but they are also active throughout the year supporting United Way member agencies by serving on boards, coaching kids’ teams and generally supporting agencies in need.  The annual United Way Day of Caring is also an event our folks look forward to every year; this year working hard to support the Food Bank and the Leeshore Center”.

The Dispatch spoke to Lisa Roberts, Executive Director of the Kenai Peninsula United Way who was also grateful for the support of ConocoPhillips employees.  She explained that the nearly $19,000 level of support is reflective of a partnership between the United Way Campaign Committee, staff and ConocoPhillips employee supporters.   ConocoPhillips as a company has also historically been a strong corporate supporter of the United Way as well, and once again in 2013 individual employees stepped up to the challenge.

The Kenai Peninsula United Way works to advance the common good for the people of the Peninsula by focusing on senior citizens, youth, education, poverty and health issues.  “We feel that meeting such needs provide essential building blocks that make people, and therefore communities, successful.  United Way supports programs though out the Peninsula that support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, activities and care for the elderly, services that promote healthy and educated children, food for the hungry, help with end-of-life hospice care and much more.  The campaign for 2013 is set to end April 30, 2014.  It’s not too late to show your support for Kenai Peninsula United Way’s effort to give, advocate or volunteer.  All funds raised on behalf of the Kenai Peninsula United Way supports agencies and people that reside right here on the Peninsula,” said Roberts.  To learn more about United Way on the Peninsula contact Lisa Roberts at email KPUW@ptialaska.net or call 907-283-9500. “On the Kenai Peninsula we like to LIVE UNITED and we thank ConocoPhillips and their employees for their generosity in 2013,” said Turner.