When we gather to celebrate our community, we are really celebrating what happens when neighbors step up for one another. At our annual celebration, United Way of West Florida brought together local leaders, corporate partners, volunteers, and dedicated donors across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to honor the collective power of community collaboration—with a special thank you to our incredible emcee, Sonshine Moorer, for bringing her signature warmth, energy, and heart to the stage throughout the event.
United We Thrive
Reflecting on this year’s theme, United Way of West Florida President and CEO Laura Gilliam shared a powerful image during the event.
"Much like plants, our community, residents, and households need an abundance of resources to thrive—to prosper and grow."
That philosophy drives every initiative we launch, particularly as we focus on ALICE households—those who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are hard-working local families who earn above the federal poverty line yet still struggle to afford life’s basic essentials like housing, food, and healthcare. With 47% of households in Escambia County and 36% in Santa Rosa County falling at or below the ALICE threshold, our ongoing goal is to move local families from surviving to truly thriving.
Transforming Lives Through Strategic Investments and Resources
Over the past year, our strategic investments in health, education, and financial stability have delivered measurable, life-changing results across our region. Our Community Investment-funded programs directly served 27,944 individuals, with 71.5% of participants successfully achieving their intended outcomes. Demonstrating our commitment to equity, over 61% of those served were ALICE households and nearly 39% were families living below the Federal Poverty Level.
Beyond grant funding, 211 Northwest Florida provided critical lifelines for neighbors when they needed assistance most. The 211 Northwest Florida team answered 14,565 calls from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, connecting more than 28,000 people to vital resources like housing, utility help, and food pantries. Simultaneously, the Florida Veterans Support Line assisted more than 3,000 individuals, while the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline connected over 3,256 callers in both counties with compassionate, trained mental health counselors.
Driving Economic Impact and Local Mobilization
Empowering financial stability remains a core priority for local economic health. Through our 2025 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, dedicated volunteers filed 1,181 tax returns, bringing $1.47 million in refunds back into the pockets of local working families and generating an estimated $2.2 million in total economic impact across Northwest Florida.
That spirit of hands-on service extended across schools and neighborhoods through active volunteerism. During Day of Caring 2025, a massive force of 713 volunteers contributed an estimated $98,000 worth of direct community impact. Additionally, our annual Stuff the Bus campaign rallied local business partnerships to collect more than $78,000 in essential school supplies, setting up students in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties for academic success.
Spotlighting Outstanding Corporate and Community Partners
Our wide-reaching community work relies on deep local roots. We were proud to recognize our top five corporate campaign partners for 2025–2026: Publix, Florida Power & Light (FPL), Navy Federal Credit Union, City of Pensacola, and HCA Florida West Hospital.
We also celebrated our annual partner award winners for their exceptional contribution to our mission:
Small Business Partner of the Year: The Makery (Owners Cody and Meredith Sowell) for hosting creative fundraisers like their Women United cake decorating class and donating proceeds directly to our mission.
Large Business Partner of the Year: Florida Blue for their steadfast commitment, including providing hosting space and operational support for our VITA tax preparation site and local events.
Funded Agency of the Year: Pensacola Habitat for Humanity for their dedicated involvement in Day of Caring, active engagement with the EscaRosa Financial Stability Coalition, and tireless work helping local families achieve safe, affordable homeownership.
Honoring Exemplary Leadership and Service
True community transformation is built on individual commitment. This year, we honored two outstanding local leaders with our highest individual recognitions:
United Way Service Award: 
Debbie Douma was recognized for her deep volunteer commitment. Beyond serving on our Board of Directors, Debbie actively leads in committee work, including the Glitz & Gallop Gala and the Community Investment Committee.
Distinguished Community Service Award:
John Scanlon received our highest honor from the Board of Directors. As a longtime advocate, John serves on the Board, chairs the Development Advisory Council, and continually bridges our organization with key community networks.
We also expressed our heartfelt gratitude to outgoing board members Jeremy Ruffin, Tom Della Flora, Carl Gregory Jackson, and Tony Kisner (who served as Secretary from 2021–2026) for their years of guidance.
A special recognition and thank you was given to our dedicated media partners; Cat Country 98.7, News Radio 92.3, WEAR News 3, and Pensacola News Journal/LocaliQ. We are truly thankful for their support and community partnership.
Join the Movement to Help Northwest Florida Bloom
As our United We Bloom campaign continues, we invite every community member to help us nurture our region. Every donation, volunteer hour, and strategic partnership adds to the abundance of resources our neighbors need to build brighter futures.
"When we unite, we can do more than respond to today's challenges," Gilliam noted. "We can create abundance, opportunities, build brighter futures, and help our communities thrive."
