United Way : A Note from the UWLC Chairman of the Board

My name is Jon Rembold.  I am very fortunate to be married to my wife Heather, who is my most trusted partner in this amazing and sometimes crazy journey we call LIFE.  We have four wonderful children:  Molly (15), Alyssa (13), Samuel (12), and Thomas (9).

     I grew up in Western NY (Salamanca) but have been in Beaufort for 19 years.  Heather and I often say that we got here as quickly as we could!

     I’m employed as the Airports Director for Beaufort County.  In that role I am responsible for the Hilton Head Island Airport and the Beaufort County Airport (Lady’s Island).

     I’ve been with United Way for three years (almost) as a Board Member and have served as Chairman for the past two years.  The United Way’s purpose or mission is to mobilize resources to solve human problems.  Simply put, the United Way of the Lowcountry  exists to help people, our neighbors,  in Beaufort and Jasper Counties.  The United Way of the Lowcountry partners with many local organizations to provide materials, services, funding to those in need through the Community Impact Program but also coordinates its own crucial programs such as the Help Line and the Early Grade Reading Program.  It’s really amazing how many people volunteer their time to help with these programs.

     It’s immensely satisfying to see the human spirit that we are blessed with here in the lowcountry.  The responses to Hurricane Matthew and then to Tropical Storm Irma were nothing short of heroic.  The staff worked countless hours to help coordinate relief funding and to help connect people in need with the best agency to solve their particular problem.  It’s humbling to realize that any one of us is really just one crisis or one stroke of bad luck from being in desperate need of help.  We tend to feel invincible if we are employed and basically happy.  But the fact is tragedy can strike anyone at any time.  We need to remain thankful, humble and helpful.

     Working alongside the United Way of the Lowcountry has been immensely rewarding.  From the relationships I have cultivated with our awesome staff and selfless board members to the many volunteer opportunities that are available, I feel fortunate be associated with an organization of this caliber.  You asked me to describe some of my favorite times with UWL.  That’s a challenge but I can mention a couple as a sampling…A particularly gratifying and fun event was filling backpacks with supplies for school children who might not have the resources to arrive at the first day of school with all of their supplies.  Being a Dad of four and having a teacher and administrator as a wife, I understand many of the dynamics that happen in these little ones’ lives.  This event was a lot of fun and ensured hundreds of our youth were all geared-up for day one!  Another rewarding event was a dedication that was made at the ribbon cutting for the new headquarters building on Ribaut Road in Beaufort.  During that ceremony, we dedicated a tree to the memory of Jim McCornock, a truly dedicated and amazing member of our board and campaign leadership who recently passed away.  Jim’s wife, Beth, was there with us to share that moment and it was a great way to honor Jim, who worked tirelessly for years to help raise money during our campaign.  Jim is sorely missed, but, it is the memory and inspiration of people like Jim who make the United Way of the Lowcountry a special, meaningful, and impactful organization.