Following the Phog: Early commitment to United Way at KU
LAWRENCE — Basketball fans know about coach and athletic director Forrest “Phog” Allen’s contributions to the University of Kansas basketball program. But many people aren’t aware of his role as the chair of the very first campus campaign for the Community Chest, later to be known as the United Way.
Marianne Reed, chair of the 2021 KU campus campaign for the United Way, was the project manager for the digitization of the Phog Allen Papers in the University Archives in 2017, now available online as one of the KU Libraries Digital Collections. Among Allen’s papers are documents from that first Community Chest campaign.
“I found it fascinating to read about how Coach Allen’s commitment to his community led him to chair a campus campaign to raise money for the Community Chest. He attended breakfasts with campus faculty and community leaders to talk about how their contributions would be used to help those in need, appealing to their community spirit and patriotism. He also very cleverly played on the Kansas/Missouri rivalry by pointing out how successful the Community Chest campaign had been in Missouri and called upon loyal Jayhawks to follow suit,” Reed said.
Reed had always supported the United Way through payroll deductions and through the KU Libraries’ United Way campaign events. When she became the chair of the KU Libraries’ United Way team in 2018, Allen’s example of community service inspired her to offer to shave her head if 50 members of the KU Libraries’ staff and faculty participated in payroll deduction.
“It’s really important to me to do what I can to support our friends and neighbors in Douglas County in difficult times. The pandemic disrupted many lives in our area, and the United Way is there with its partners to provide the services needed to support the community during this difficult time,” Reed said.
2021 marks the 81st year of the fundraising campaign at KU. This year the goal is $135,000, and fundraising runs until Stop Day on Dec. 10. Interested employees may find more information on how to donate and volunteer in Douglas County on the KU United Way website.