Recognizing 20-plus Years of Volunteer Service United Way of Greater St. Louis Honors Cathy Dunkin

Posted: 01/19/2012

ST. LOUIS, MO (January 19, 2012) -  Cathy Dunkin is this year's Freeman-Kortkamp award recipient from United Way of Greater St. Louis. The award was created to honor outstanding service and performance of a United Way of Greater St. Louis board member. Dunkin has been involved with United Way of Greater St. Louis for more than 20 years.

Dunkin has been helping people through United Way of Greater St. Louis since 1983 and has made a large impact on our region through her dedication and commitment.

She joined the United Way board in 2006 and has been involved in various committees throughout her tenure:

• Chaired the Marketing and Communications Committee during the 2006 campaign and again in 2009 and 2010
• Served on the Executive Committee in 2006, 2009 and 2010
• Served on the Campaign Cabinet in 2009 and 2010

In addition to her board service, Dunkin led her division's United Way campaign at Monsanto in 1983, helped with the implementation of the Women's Leadership Giving Society and lent her expertise to an incubator team that developed creative new ways for United Way to reach new audiences.

As Marketing and Communications Committee chair, she helped shape and grow the online auction. Her company, Standing Partnership, was instrumental in helping with the auction as well as creating the Benetwit - part holiday party, part tweet-up, part charity event.

For Dunkin, volunteering is deeply personal. She focuses on three aspects when determining where she'll invest her time: economic development, kids and pets.

"St. Louis has been good to me, my family and my company, so it's important for me to give back," Dunkin said.

Other board involvement includes Jefferson National Parks Association and Variety the Children's Charity. She also serves on the St. Louis Petlover Coalition's advisory board. She's involved with Focus St. Louis, St. Louis Social Venture Partners and the Coro Foundation and has numerous past community and civic organizational involvement.

"I have so much respect for United Way," said Dunkin. "They have a tremendous impact on the community in a highly efficient manner. I am humbled and honored by this award - more than any other award I've received."

Cathy Dunkin is CEO of Standing Partnership, which she founded in 1991 with her sister. Their vision was (and still is) to have an agency built on values that would ensure long-standing partnerships with clients, employees and the local communities where the firm operates. More than 20 years later, Dunkin's dedication to the community through her company and United Way is the epitome of what the Freeman-Kortkamp award represents.

About United Way of Greater St. Louis

United Way funds more than 170 health and human service agencies located throughout a 16-county area in Missouri and Illinois. One in three people (more than one million) in our community receive services that strengthen families, help the elderly, keep children healthy and safe, and build stronger neighborhoods. For more information, contact 314-421-0700 or visit www.stl.unitedway.org.