We all know the saying “dogs are a man’s best friend,” and one of our fifteen ELEVATE finalists – Kelsey Burton – put that into practice when she took over as Executive Director of Paws & Think in 2016. As a finalist for Nonprofit Employee of the Year, Kelsey understands the importance of the dog-human […]

On January 27 the United Way ELEVATE Host Committee hosted a Guess Who game night. Remember the classic board game? Over 40 individuals joined us at Sun King Brewing in downtown Indianapolis and raised $520 toward our $80,000 ELEVATE 2020 goal. WOW. Check out a few photos posted on our Flickr page. Our goal? That […]

Tanorria Askew’s personality fills up a room. Her laughter and vivacious spirit are contagious, which is why we thought she’d be a fitting choice to begin our blog series of ELEVATE’s fifteen finalists. A finalist for Community Ambassador of the Year, Tanorria was nominated by fellow Indy food maven, chef, entrepreneur, blogger & author – […]

United Way’s ELEVATE Awards recognize the next generation of philanthropists, volunteers and activists in the Central Indiana community. After receiving nearly 100(!) nominations, we are excited to share the 2020 finalists. In keeping with our “vintage circus” theme this year, we hope you’ll be AMAZED to see the magic up close under the Big Top […]

This time last year, Lauren Petersen walked through the doors of United Way of Central Indiana excited (and a bit curious) in anticipation for what would unfold. Earlier in the week, Lauren received an email that caught her completely off-guard; she had been nominated for a United Way ELEVATE Award.  ELEVATE, United Way’s signature fundraising […]

Hey ELEVATE attendees! Katie Ellis here – Marketing Director for RJE Business Interiors and avid supporter of United Way of Central Indiana. As a member of ELEVATE’s planning committee, I’m proud to be part of another successful gala honoring the young philanthropists of our region. You may have heard that funds raised from ELEVATE 2020 […]

We recently sat down for a little Q&A with the ELEVATE 2020 Chair, Jamie Jansen, better known as “the Ringleader” for this year’s vintage-circus theme event. Connect with Jamie on LinkedIN. Q: What’s a typical “day-in-the-life” of Jamie”? A: I must say I’m a creature of habit. I wake up around 5:30 a.m. each day […]

The ELEVATE Awards would not be possible without the commitment and thoughtful insight from our ELEVATE judges. This year we’ve asked a new panel to join us in reviewing the extraordinary submission of nearly 100 individuals nominated in our five awards categories. “These six judges represent diverse backgrounds, industries and viewpoints, but what they all […]