United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Kicks Off Its Centennial Year With a Downtown Celebration

Marching towards its 100th anniversary, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas kicked off its centennial year with a celebration in the heart of downtown Dallas on Thursday, October 24.

Some of the city’s most cherished champions gathered under the lights of the AT&T Discovery District to commence a year-long celebration of 100 years of impact on millions in North Texas.

United Way focuses on three key areas — education, income, and health — considered “the building blocks of opportunity.” For 100 years, the organization has “united the community to create access and opportunity for all North Texans to thrive.”

During the event, United Way unveiled the Century Project, which seeks to revolutionize community collaboration through data. (How fitting that the event took place in the 5G-fueled AT&T Discovery District!) McDermott-Templeton President and CEO of United Way Jennifer Sampson advocated for all North Texans to “Live United” in order to create lasting change in our community.

“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,” Sampson said.

“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,” she eloquently concluded.

PepsiCo Foods North America CEO Steven Williams is chairing the landmark Centennial campaign. Notable guests in attendance included Lyda Hill, Christy Williams, Alice and Curt Farmer, Antonio Carrillo, Jim Burke, and Tom and Corrine Greco.

Throughout 2025, United Way plans to host events and volunteer projects that will enhance education, income, and health. Up next? A Food and Health Resources Fair on Saturday, November 16, will provide food distribution, critical grocery support, onsite health check-ups, and testing. Interested volunteers can register here.

Centennial sponsors include many steadfast pillars of Dallas’ corporate community, such as PepsiCo, Texas Instruments, Comerica Bank, Trinity Industries, Vista, Atmos Energy, EY, H-E-B, AT&T, Arcosa, Bank of America, and Ryan.

The celebratory year culminates at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, November 15, 2025, with the grand United Way Centennial presented by PepsiCo, which will feature a VIP dinner and concert. Some top-secret details have yet to be revealed, but mark your calendar for this not-to-be-missed event.

Congratulations, United Way. 99, and you’ve never looked better.