On October 24, 2024, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas launched its centennial year with a celebration of 100 years of impactful work benefiting millions across North Texas.
The kickoff event took place at the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas, with PepsiCo Foods North America CEO Steven Williams chairing this milestone campaign. To mark the occasion, United Way introduced its Century Project, an initiative designed to leverage data to transform how community organizations collaborate for measurable change.
"For the past 100 years, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has led the charge to provide the access and opportunity for all North Texans to thrive,” United Way of Metropolitan Dallas McDermott-Templeton President and CEO Jennifer Sampson said in an official statement. “The centennial celebration casts a vision that calls us all to ‘live united’ that will propel lasting change for the next 100 years while celebrating the historic impact made right here in our community.”
The centennial celebration will close out United Way’s 100th annual campaign with a series of volunteer service projects. The event will take place on Nov. 15, 2025, at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park and will feature a VIP dinner, a food and wine festival and a concert with headlining A-list entertainment. An all-star lineup from North Texas’ beloved sports teams — including the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, Texas Rangers, FC Dallas, Dallas Wings and Dallas Trinity FC — will also support this yearlong celebration.
The volunteer series will lead up to the centennial celebration, featuring a range of community events. Highlights include a food and health fair at Fair Park, a community resource fair at the Dallas Zoo, a region-wide reading day, school restoration projects, summer meals programs, the stock the school initiative and STEM fest in collaboration with the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
In 2024 alone, United Way’s collective efforts impacted over 1.7 million North Texans, enhancing access to education, income and health services for more than 20% of the region’s population. The organization aims to expand this support in the coming decade through its Aspire United 2030 initiative. This initiative will boost third-grade reading proficiency by 50%, raise the number of young adults earning a living wage by 20% — contributing over $800 million annually to the local economy — and increase affordable healthcare coverage to 96% of North Texans.
For more information on how to get involved, visit UnitedWayDallas.org/Centennial.
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