United Way announces community campaign chairs

The Heart of Missouri United Way designated their 2015 Tri-Chairs to lead the organization’s community fundraising campaign. Mary and Greg Ropp, of The Bank of Missouri and Columbia Honda respectively, will lead the team of six.

Mike and Sarah Messer, of Shelter Insurance and Flat Branch Home Loans, and Bev and Allen Curtis, both of House of Brokers Realty, will be the other chairs.

The community campaign aims to generate more than $3 million in pledges. One of the tri-chairs’ initial responsibilities will be recruiting community members to chair individual divisions of the campaign, which are divided by donor classification as well as business sectors, such as banking or education.

“It’s a huge honor to be asked to lead the United Way campaign in our community,” Mary Ropp said. “Supporting United Way is the best way to give back and make a measureable difference in the community.”

Mayor Bob McDavid and his wife, Suzanne, led last year’s campaign, which raised $2.9 million, according to Heart of Missouri United Way President Cameron Dunafon. The group uses employer-based campaigning in addition to fundraising through personal connections, Dunafon said.

Tim Rich, the departing executive director of the Heart of Missouri United Way, said that Ropp has been a strong advocate for helping people in need throughout the community, adding, “We are thrilled to have Mary and Greg leading this campaign.”

The 2015 campaign publicly begins in late August and will run through the end of the year.