United Way wraps up 2025 fundraising year with Greg and Kim Gheen as campaign chairs
The United in Purpose event on Tuesday afternoon brought together major donors, United Way supporters, and colleagues from Realty Trust Group (RTG) and PYA for a celebratory reception.
Earlier this year, the community gathered at Covenant Health Park stadium to meet the 2025 campaign chairs for United Way: Greg and Kim Gheen. The couple was selected for their philanthropic commitment, community connections, passion, volunteerism, and heart for the people of East Tennessee.
When asked to serve, Greg and Kim gave a resounding “yes.” They later shared that their decision was inspired by Isaiah 6:8: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Here I am, Lord, send me.”
On Tuesday, high-impact donors, partners, and United Way of Greater Knoxville colleagues gathered at PYA and RTG to celebrate the conclusion of a successful campaign led by the Gheen family.
The campaign year brought significant changes, including a leadership transition. Chrystal Armstrong Brown was officially selected and approved by the United Way Board as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after serving as interim CEO since November 2024.
“United Way is an organization that absolutely has to be led with a smile, and Chrystal has that smile,” said PYA President and CEO Marty Brown during his opening remarks. “The community is blessed to have her in that role.”
Armstrong Brown expressed gratitude for the community’s support before turning the spotlight to Greg and Kim Gheen’s substantial efforts as campaign chairs.
“Over the past year, we have been part of more than 80 CEO and corporate partner calls for this campaign,” Armstrong Brown said. “Their service has been critical for us in 2025.”
Kim shared that she and Greg have supported United Way throughout their 40-year marriage, but stepping into the role of campaign chairs gave them a deeper understanding of the breadth of services United Way provides.
Throughout the year, they visited several organizations supported by United Way funds, including Helping Mamas, Second Harvest, Two Bikes, Boys & Girls Club, Community Schools, Susannah’s House, and many more.
Greg reflected on five key lessons from the experience:
- “As ‘Bo’ Shafer Jr. would say: We are all lucky to be born in the U.S., but we’re blessed to live in East Tennessee.”
- “Things don’t just happen. You have to have people. And United Way has an incredible staff.”
- “We are an incredibly diverse community. Our United Way understands the needs and knows which levers to pull.”
- “Volunteerism is important.”
- “We need to grow United Way of Greater Knoxville as our community continues to grow.”
The campaign goal for 2025 was to raise $8.5 million.
Learn more about United Way and donate here.
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