10/28/2019
Thank you to all those who attended United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s 33rd presentation of our Alexis de Tocqueville Award at our Society’s annual celebration. It was indeed a joyous celebration of philanthropy, thanks in large part, to the generosity of our presenting sponsor IBERIABANK, and fellow sponsors Entergy Corporation, Event Producers, and The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, among others.
The Alexis de Tocqueville Society is comprised of leading philanthropists who understand the value of a major investment in our community. These leaders believe deeply in our community, in living United, and making a tangible difference in the lives of families across Southeast Louisiana.
Each year, the Society recognizes one member as an outstanding local philanthropist who is committed to social change through community service and financial support. That commitment is embodied by this year’s award recipient, Roger Ogden. He is a model philanthropist and advocate who’s dedicated his life to building better, brighter Louisiana for all.
Our program recognized Roger’s laser focus on creating the biggest impact possible (watch the video tribute here). He works as a one-man collective impact model, driving collaboration, halting duplicative efforts, and finding solutions to systemic problems. And he’s always willing to share that model and expertise with others. That’s what truly makes Roger special – his willingness to give to others. Whether it be his time, his talent, or his treasure – he is generous on a grand scale.
Today, Roger is one of the staunchest advocates for United Way’s fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every single person.
During his acceptance speech, Roger reminded us that even though our human nature is wired to think of ourselves first, we must invest in others, especially those who need it most, in order to create a strong, thriving community in which we are all healthy, educated, and financially stable.
Roger demonstrated his belief in United Way’s Blueprint for Prosperity and our collective impact approach and endorsed it as “doing as good as job as [he’s] seen done anywhere.” Of course, his long-term commitment to funding our organization underscores that endorsement as well, for which, we are forever grateful.
The reality is, we can only make significant progress toward our mission of eradicating poverty when we can support all pieces of our Blueprint: programmatic and collaborative grants, internal initiatives, volunteerism, advocacy, long-term recovery work, and community fundraising. We ask that you join us and Roger in our fight to eradicate poverty and create lasting change and transform lives.
Please help me in congratulating Roger once more and take a moment to enjoy the photo gallery from our 2019 celebration.
