2024 Upcoming Events:
 

Celebrate The Power of Women / Awards Luncheon: May 07, 2024

Join Women United, an affinity group of Capital Area United Way, for the Celebrate The Power of Women Awards Luncheon, on May 7, 2024 at the Crowne Plaza Executive Center, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
 

Purchase Individual Ticket or Full Table Here

View List of Previous Year's Awards Winners Here

Congratulations to our 2024 Honorees:

Legacy of Service Award - Donna Saurage
Honors a leader who positively influences the community and will leave a legacy on our 10-parish area. The Legacy of Service Award is presented to a woman who provides excellent leadership in her profession and co-curricular activities. This woman exemplifies service above self through civic and community engagement.

Donna M. Saurage is a community activist and philanthropist who has been a shareholder of Community Coffee for 66 years. She serves on the board of Community Coffee Company, the #1 family-owned retail coffee brand in America, where she serves as Chair of the Citizenship Committee. Donna is the Sole Manager of CCC Holding, L.L.C., the owner of Community Coffee Company. In addition to her role at Community Coffee, Donna serves as on the boards of several notable organizations, including Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU), Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, the Huey and Angela Wilson Foundation, New Schools for Baton Rouge, First Presbyterian Church Foundation, and Public Affairs Research Council. She also serves as the Chair of the Tocqueville Society of Capital Area United Way.

Excellence in Social & Community Investment: Barbara Beckmann
Honors a woman in business (profit or non-profit) who despite their busy schedule, prioritizes their time to give back. This woman strives to positively impact the community, exemplifies a spirit of passion, and groundbreaking achievement that leads the way for others through their integrity, compassion, humility, credibility, and empowerment of others.

ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Senior Economic Adviser, Barbara Beckmann is a trailblazer and champion for inclusion, innovation, and mentorship. With over 60 years of experience, she has witnessed firsthand the profound impact of mentorship throughout her career. Dedicating herself to giving back, guiding, and investing in young employees, Ms. Beckman embodies the core values that define ExxonMobil. As ExxonMobil's longest-serving employee across the globe, Barbara has paved the way for women in STEM over her illustrious career spanning six decades. She made history as the first female engineering graduate at the University of Mississippi, earning a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering in 1961. In 2024, she committed a $5 million estate gift to her alma mater, which now plans to call for the Department of Engineering to bear her name in honor of the legacy gift.

Woman of Inspiration : Terri Newby-Mearidy
Honors a woman who not only tirelessly fills a vital role of service in our community but demonstrates passion in giving back and advocating for others to join the fight. She serves as an inspiration to others who wish to get involved through service and has made a significant contribution of time to furthering Capital Area United Way’s outreach, fundraising, planning, and impact.

Terri Newby-Mearidy has been employed with ExxonMobil Baton Rouge for 24 years. She currently serves as the Baton Rouge Complex Environmental Compliance Testing Coordinator and is actively involved with a number of ExxonMobil Employee Resource Groups, including EXCITE, BEST, PRIDE, WIN, and The Wildlife Sustainability Team. Terri has a longstanding commitment to community service and volunteerism. She has dedicated her time to organizations such as Goodwill Homes, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta and Pittsburgh, and the Capital Area United Way. A recent CAUW Volunteer of the Year award recipient, Terri’s contributions to making a meaningful impact in her community continue to inspire many to become more involved in the capital region.

Women of Inspiration Team Award: Kacy Edwards & Julie Scott
Honors a team that fills a vital role of service in our community but demonstrates passion in giving back and advocating for others to join the fight. This team serves as an inspiration to others who wish to get involved through service and has made a significant contribution of time to furthering Capital Area United Way’s outreach, fundraising, planning, and impact.

Kacy Edwards and Julie Scott are the Executive Directors of Career Compass of Louisiana, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the number of students in Louisiana who attend post-secondary institutions after high school graduation. In 2006, Ms. Edwards and Ms. Scott made the brave decision to leave the teaching profession to address a real need they witnessed firsthand in the classroom – that of a lack of access to information about post-secondary opportunities available to students. Because of their work at Career Compass, over 150,000 seniors across the state have graduated with a realistic, attainable plan to achieve their post-secondary goals. Kacy and Julie have been recognized with numerous accolades for their impactful work. In 2018, they were honored with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation's "Angel Award."

UNITED 40 : Adrian Owen Jones
Honors the power of a woman 40 years of age and under that is striving to make a positive and lasting impact in our community by giving, advocating, or volunteering their time, talent, and resources. The United 40 Award is presented to a young ambassador, an up-and-coming difference-maker beginning a lifelong commitment to service. 

Adrian Owen Jones serves as the Chief Growth Officer at ThreeSixtyEight, an advertising and branding agency, where she spearheads business development, agency strategy, and revenue generation while also overseeing key accounts. Adrian's dedication to education and community building is evident in her role as co-curator of Assembly Required, a nonprofit organization with the mission of positioning Baton Rouge as the creative capital of the south. Her diverse contributions underscore her commitment to effecting positive and enduring change, reflecting the essence of a rising difference-maker committed to lifelong service.

Purchase Individual Ticket or Full Table Here

View List of Previous Year's Awards Winners Here

Who We Are

Women United comprises women who are members of the Gottlieb or Tocqueville Society of Capital Area United Way, contributing annually at a leadership level of $1,000 or more. This group collaborates in giving, volunteering, and advocating alongside other like-minded women dedicated to enhancing the well-being of their community through education, economic mobility, healthy living, and access to basic needs.