United Way of Rhode Island will honor a slate of four community champions during its virtual Annual Celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 26, and the organization is inviting everyone across the state to tune in via Zoom.

The free, open to the public event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will also highlight work around creating equity and opportunities for all Rhode Islanders. Registration is open online at UWRIweb.org/AnnualCelebration2021.

“There is tremendous work happening in our communities to build racial equity, justice and prosperity for all, and we encourage everyone to join us on the 26th for what promises to be an inspiring evening,” said Cortney Nicolato, United Way’s president and CEO. “I, for one, can’t wait to celebrate this year’s honorees, who have been leaders in making our state a place where everyone can live, learn, and thrive.”

This year’s honorees and their respective awards are:

Linda Katz, the policy director and co-found of the Economic Progress Institute, will be presented with the John H. Chafee LIVE UNITED Award, recognizing her years of dedication and action to create change and transform lives. For decades, Linda has been among Rhode Island’s most influential and revered advocates, taking the lead on legislative and policy analysis for issues and public benefits programs, including child care, employment and training, health care, and welfare. Among her contributions, Linda was instrumental in moving forward Rhode Island’s minimum wage from $10.10 per hour to $15 per hour and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit. Recently, she led and organized a two-year campaign to raise the benefits and improve the economic wellbeing of families enrolled in the RI Works program, including allowing 18-year-old dependent children to continue eligibility for RI Works as long as they’re in high school or getting a GED.

The recipient of the Dante F. Mollo Labor United Award will be George Nee, president of the RI AFL-CIO. George began his commitment to labor and the rights of workers in 1969 when he left Boston College to organize the historic grape boycott for the United Farm Workers of America. In 1971, he took that commitment to Rhode Island to coordinate a lettuce boycott and has been a leader of the state’s labor movement ever since. He joined the RI AFL-CIO in 1983 and became its president in 2009. A tireless advocate for policy changes that improve access to opportunities and education, George’s leadership has had a profound impact on the community through advocacy, volunteerism, and philanthropy.

Presented to a United Way partner whose commitment to the organization’s work and its community is moving the needle toward a more just Rhode Island, Starkweather & Shepley will receive the Partners United Award. For 25 years, the company has hosted an annual United Way campaign, raising nearly $1 million in support of initiatives and programs that help improve the lives of Rhode Islanders. Additionally, the Starkweather & Shepley Charitable Fund has awarded more than $300,000 in grants to local charities – with a particular focus on those that serve children – since 2010. Each year, the company participates in United Way’s Annual Children’s Book Drive, with employees giving generously of their time as volunteers across the state.

Representing a coalition of organizations working together to increase and preserve the supply of safe, healthy and affordable homes throughout the state, HomesRI will be presented with the inaugural Community United Award. This new award honors the collective effort needed to make progress and create change in our communities. Established in 2017, the coalition has been a driving force – and leading voice – of Rhode Island’s housing crisis. Among HomesRI’s most notable recent impacts are its unified advocacy in support of the $65 million Housing and Community Opportunity bond that passed by wide margin this past March, work on the eviction moratorium and varied housing assistance programs throughout the pandemic, and its role in the published report calling on state leaders to invest $500 million of federal dollars on housing.

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