Hear directly from Tocqueville Society members on why they choose to give to UWGN.

How did the Blevins family first become involved with the United Way of Greater Nashville?

Our father partnered with the United Way to run campaigns at Blevins, and Brad was actually a Loaned Executive for the United Way in 1990 while employed by SunTrust Bank. Both of us believe strongly in the United Way’s mission and in supporting the community and have been Tocqueville supporters for over 20 years.

Blevins, Inc. is known for having a strong corporate culture which puts the needs of employees and customers first. How does this align with your generous support of the United Way over the years?

We believe that as we are successful, those around us, both employees and the general community, should benefit and share in our success. Our company has been very fortunate over the fifty-four years that the Blevins family has owned Blevins, Inc., and we are very committed for the success to impact our employees and the community in a positive way.

East Nashville, where Blevins, Inc., is headquartered, is rapidly changing. This is an area of Nashville that Blevins, Inc., has generously supported for many years. Can you talk about why you’ve chosen to do this?

There are a lot of needs around Nashville, but over the years, we have seen and been exposed to particular needs within a few miles of our corporate and Nashville branch offices. We are based near Inglewood and there are not necessarily a lot of larger businesses in this area.  In addition, we have employees who live close to our offices, so it makes sense to focus much of our giving in the East Nashville area.

Please share any other specific United Way causes/programs you’ve enjoyed supporting and why.

Many years ago, we provided the funding for the East Nashville Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and over the years, we have provided funding to the YMCA YCAP program, the McNeilly Center, Fannie Battle, Maplewood High School’s Community Action Center and the Salvation Army, many of which the United Way introduced us to.

What thoughts do you have for others who are considering support of the United Way?

We think the United Way is the most efficient way to support the largest needs in the community.   The research and due diligence that the organization does to determine where the greatest needs in the community are makes us feel like our giving is going where the dollars will have the highest impact.