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Running up that ‘Hill’

Where will you be on September 7th at 7 a.m.?

There’s no better way to start your day, or officially kick-off the United Way of Hamblen County’s local fundraising campaign, than with a Grammy-award winning, Tennessee Radio Broadcasting Hall of Famer and a delicious breakfast.

The Annual United Way of Hamblen County Kick-off Breakfast to commence this year’s fundraising campaign will be held in the gymnasium of First Presbyterian Church at 7 a.m. on September 7th. Breakfast will be prepared by Jersey Girl Catering and is generously sponsored by Morristown Utilities.

This year’s guest speaker is local author, motivator, radio and television talk show host Hallerin Hilton Hill of Knoxville. After 30 years of artfully and soulfully telling the inspirational stories of members of our community, Hill was honored with a well-deserved induction into the Tennessee Radio Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2021.

Not only is he likely to be your radio co-pilot during a commute on NewsTalk 98.7FM, you can also catch his weekly show, Anything is Possible, on television on WVLT channel 8, and on his YouTube channel. Guests have included Morristown’s Patricia Bible, Pat Summit, Heath & Navy Shuler, Bill Haslam, Kellie Harper, Rick Russo, singer/songwriter Emily Ann Roberts, and stand-up comedian Leanne Morgan. For Hill, his call to motivational speaking is “connected to [his] higher purpose, which is helping people flourish, helping people get better at getting better,” as he shared in an interview with Nathan Sparks, Publisher of Cityview Magazine.

As an author, singer, songwriter, and producer, Hill has written a best-selling self-help book, The Seven Pillars of Faith, and has written songs for, performed with, and worked with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and T.D. Jakes to name a few. Houston’s song in particular was recorded for the 1996 film The Preacher’s Wife in which she starred opposite Denzel Washington.

For Gary Matthews, Executive Director of United Way of Hamblen County, the starting line of a campaign is always a very exciting time. “We are thrilled to have Hallerin Hilton Hill as our guest speaker to motivate and inspire our volunteers and community supporters as we dive into what we hope to be another successful campaign year,” Matthews shared.

Selected by Campaign Chair Justin Cook, Senior Vice President of First Horizon Bank, this year’s campaign theme is straight from the heart: “Life Loves On.”

Inspired by a story he read in The Atlantic about a family devastated by the loss of a loved one in the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11th, 2001, their devotion to solidarity to overcome something so terrible is a reminder that we all face our own share of difficult times.

In those times, United Way and our partner agencies are here to help.

This year the campaign fundraising goal for 21 partner agencies has been set at $1,350,000 – an amount that has been achieved in recent years thanks to the generosity of our community.

Since late July, three local companies, designated as Pacesetters, have had a headstart on their fundraising along with the Larry Whalen Leadership Circle of Givers. Pacesetter companies for this campaign are Colortech, Sonoco, and Lakeway Container.