United Way Kicks Off Centennial Campaign and Year-Long Celebration

On Oct. 24, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas hosted a very special Centennial Kickoff Event, presented by AT&T. Held at the incredible AT&T Discovery District, the evening marked the start of a yearlong celebration of 100 years of United Way’s transformative impact across North Texas. Our momentum is simply unstoppable, and together we are driving measurable, meaningful impact as we look to the future.

During the event, PepsiCo Foods North America CEO Steven Williams began his tenure as the chair of this landmark Centennial campaign. The evening included food, fun and entertainment, with a performance by Prophets and Outlaws. Attendees were treated to exciting announcements and an opportunity to network with advocates, investors and change-makers committed to driving impact in our community.

As part of our Centennial Campaign, we launched our Century Project, which will harness data to revolutionize how community organizations work together to make measurable change.

We’re thrilled to introduce you to the Centennial variation of our Live United call to action for North Texas:

Read on for highlights of our unforgettable Centennial Kickoff Event, including the big-name North Texans who are leading this yearlong celebration, a look back at our most recent successful annual campaign and how you can be part of the excitement.

About Our Once-in-a-Century Celebration of Impact

As we celebrate our milestone 100th Annual Campaign, we invite all of North Texas to join us in a historic year of service and celebration. Together, we will continue supporting our vital education, income and health initiatives as we pave the way for the next century of impact. Sign up now to stay informed, take part in our Centennial events, or volunteer to create lasting change in our community.

Our Volunteer Series will serve as a drumbeat in the march to the Centennial Celebration. Interested in signing up as a volunteer? Visit our Centennial website to get started.

Save the date! Make plans now to join an all-star roster from North Texas’ favorite teams and A-listers as we culminate this yearlong celebration.

Centennial Celebration and Concert

November 15, 2025
Cotton Bowl in Fair Park

VIP Dinner, Food and Wine Festival, and exclusive concert
Presented by PepsiCo

“Every face, every story reminds us that Dallas isn’t just a collection of neighborhoods – ours is a community of real people, real dreams, and endless possibilities,” said Jennifer Sampson, McDermott-Templeton president and CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. “And this pride in our community moves us to real action. It drives us to achieve bold goals that ensure every child, every family, and every neighbor can thrive. We have big dreams for ALL of Big D—from Dallas to Collin County to Rockwall to Southern Denton counties. But we don’t just dream. We do. We connect. We act. We Live United so ALL North Texans can thrive.”

A Shared Commitment to North Texas

To open the Oct. 24 event, Pascal Desroches, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer at AT&T, and Charlene Lake, chief sustainability officer at AT&T—both of whom are members of the United Way Board of Directors—emphasized the power of connections and the meaningful partnership between AT&T and United Way. Desroches highlighted how, for a century, United Way has strengthened education, income and health in the community, and AT&T has been proud to support this vital mission.

“AT&T and United Way have a shared commitment to community service,” he said. “It’s a privilege to collaborate with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas as they enter their Centennial year. The work they’ve done over the past century has been transformative, and we’re excited to be a part of the journey as they look to the future.”

The event featured United Way’s incoming Board Chair, Antonio Carrillo, president and CEO of Arcosa. Carrillo expressed excitement about United Way’s future, thanking the Board for their leadership during this monumental time.

Sampson took the stage and emphasized that our shared pride of Dallas is what drives us to come together in support of our community. She gave a special thanks to the following for their dedication to United Way’s mission and our community:

• Centennial Celebration presented by PepsiCo
• Centennial Kickoff Event presented by AT&T
• Centennial Aspire United Volunteer Series presented by Texas Instruments
• Century Circle Sponsors: Comerica Bank, Trinity Industries, Vistra
• Centennial Premiere Sponsors: Atmos, EY, HEB
• Centennial Supporting Sponsors: Arcosa, Bank of America, Ryan

Sampson recognized the powerful lineup of inspirational campaign chairs as we celebrate our 99th year and begin to look ahead at our 100th year:

• President and CEO of Comerica Incorporated and Comerica Bank, Curt Farmer: United Way 99th Annual Campaign Chair
• CEO of PepsiCo Foods North America, Steven Williams: United Way 100th Annual Campaign Chair
• President and CEO, Vistra Corp., Jim Burke: United Way 101st Annual Campaign Chair

Looking Back on a Successful Year

Next, Farmer took the stage to reflect on his incredibly successful campaign year and to thank everyone who came together to ensure we reached our collective goals for the community.

“What a year to look back on,” he said. “I’m proud to share that our Annual Campaign not only met but exceeded its goal. This accomplishment was even more special to me as it coincided with Comerica’s own 175th anniversary. Leading this campaign during such a significant moment for Comerica is something I’ll always cherish. I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the transformative impact United Way has across North Texas. Together, we focused on the building blocks of opportunity—education, income and health—and saw tremendous results.”

Check out the video below to see highlights of Farmer’s successful campaign year.

Farmer said launching United Way’s CEO Advisory Council is a particular point of pride. He offered heartfelt thanks to everyone in attendance, including his team at Comerica, and ended with a special announcement.

“Comerica has a long history with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, but I am proud to say that Comerica now holds the distinction of having the highest number of Tocqueville members of any financial institution,” he said. He also gave special thanks to the co-chairs of the Ruth Sharp Altshuler Tocqueville Society, Trey Cox and Erin Nealy Cox. “As Tocqueville Chairs, they have played an instrumental role in the success of this campaign and their leadership has been nothing short of inspiring.”

Kicking Off Our Centennial Campaign

Farmer then welcomed Burke to the stage to help him pass the torch to the campaign chair of our Centennial year, Steven Williams.

Williams unveiled ambitious plans for the upcoming year, including ambitious fundraising goals, large-scale volunteer projects and our culminating celebration next November.

“We have such a rare opportunity to change the game for millions of our fellow North Texans. I’m honored to chair the Centennial Campaign year, and we’re off to a great start,” he said, calling out an incredible $1.6 million raised during Celanese’s annual golf tournament and a generous $1 million Centennial investment from the Lyda Hill Foundation.

Williams highlighted his company’s work with United Way, which goes back decades.

“At PepsiCo, we’ve been partnering with United Way for more than 40 years, and one of our proudest achievements together has been the launch of Southern Dallas Thrives, a long-term initiative to create real opportunities in Southern Dallas,” he said. “Southern Dallas Thrives is focused on food security, jobs and education—transforming lives in an area with the greatest challenges and the greatest opportunities.”

Williams encouraged everyone to save the date for our culminating Centennial Celebration and Concert, which will be held Nov. 15, 2025. The unprecedented event will include a food festival tied to our work eliminating food security, a dinner honoring our generous supporters and sponsors, and a concert in the Cotton Bown—the first non-sports event held in this historic venue since its renovation.

Sampson then thanked Williams for his dedication to the Live United movement.

“Your vision and leadership—and that of your team at PepsiCo—is the total package as we launch this historic Centennial anniversary, that has been years in the making,” she said. “And your visionary leadership could not have come at a better time. It’s exactly what we need to guide us into our next century of impact and service. And we can’t wait to get to work.”

We’re Driving Greater Progress Through Hyper-Local Data

Finally, Sampson highlighted one of United Way’s superpowers: using hyper-local data to understand every Dallas neighborhood, block by block and neighbor by neighbor.

“This helps us work smarter with our communities to deliver measurable results,” she said.

Sampson highlighted the recent launch of our groundbreaking Century Project, the Data Capacity Building Initiative, in partnership with the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation. The initiative leverages the Community Vulnerability Compass, an innovative technology platform that will revolutionize how we accelerate impact and collaborate with our partners across North Texas.

“By precisely pinpointing the most pressing needs down to the neighborhood level, we’ll ensure every dollar invested created maximum impact where it matters most,” she said.

Let’s Unite for All of North Texas

Our Centennial Kickoff Event was a celebration of past achievements and a call to action for continued community involvement. Sampson closed the night with a reminder that the Centennial year offers many ways to engage, from sponsorships to volunteer opportunities. She also told attendees to stay tuned for the launch of our second century fundraising campaign, which will increase our collective capacity to achieve the Aspire United 2030 community goals for North Texas.

“This is a landmark moment, and tonight is just the beginning,” she said. “For 100 years, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has been the driving force behind creating opportunity for all North Texans to thrive. We are the heartbeat of this community, and we have tremendous momentum. Our pulse is stronger than ever before as we kick off what will be a yearlong tribute to a century of impact and service.”

As the evening ended with a lively performance by the band Prophets and Outlaws, attendees left inspired to support United Way’s mission and be a part of shaping the next 100 years of impact in North Texas.