UWCC celebrates Harvey Goldberg for his loyalty and heart.
by Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director – United Way of Charlotte County
February 2009 marked the passing of the most listened-to radio personality in the nation, Paul Harvey. He had a voice pegged for radio from an early age and was known far and wide for his many catch phrases. He was possibly best known for divulging “the rest of the story”, the often strange and shocking backstories behind famous people and events, in his weekly news segment of the same name.
Harvey was also known for the seamless way he transitioned from his news content to commercials. A not-so-savvy listener could easily mistake these commercials for personal endorsements. However, according to him, this was intentional, as he loyally endorsed only products he truly believed in.
Locally we have another well-known Harvey who is likewise loyal to products and people he believes in. I am blessed to call him a mentor, a former board member, and a friend – Harvey Goldberg.
Harvey Goldberg became the Board President for United Way of Charlotte County (UWCC) the week after my mom died. I was new to my position and going through the most stressful time of my life. He was the perfect person to walk with me as I took on my first Executive Director role and processed the passing of not only my mother but also my father. He was just so kind.
It became evident that he not only cared for me as a person, but also as a professional. Harvey was an incredible mentor, homing in on the little details that he felt I could improve to ensure that I did my job with excellence. As the former Mayor of Punta Gorda, I knew that Harvey had the experience of working in a position that was aimed at serving our local community, and his input from that perspective was invaluable.
And this was only the beginning of the story!
Harvey served two terms on the UWCC Board of Directors and made an impact along the way. Current Board President, Charlotte Miller of FPL, told me that she feels that he, “is a true treasure to our community.”
One key way that Harvey has served UWCC is as a volunteer for our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. He has been a constant at VITA, even through the pandemic. Board Member Marcia Cullinan of Michael Saunders & Co., who also volunteers for VITA, let me know that her experience with Harvey Goldberg has shown her, “He is willing to tackle any situation from beginning to end, and is gentle, kind, gracious, thoughtful and extremely thorough.”
Our VITA Operations Coordinator, Nadia Demyanovskiy, added, “He is a committed volunteer of the VITA program and will go above and beyond to help. He has a heart of gold.”
And when it comes to “gold”, Harvey also has had a huge hand in UWCC’s fundraising efforts.
UWCC hosts a signature event annually that we used to call “Harvey’s event”, as Harvey always compelled the most attendees to come. No one can say no to Harvey! (We just call it Beaujolais now, but in my mind, it will always be Harvey’s event!)
I want to celebrate Harvey Goldberg today as he transitions from the UWCC Board of Directors to an elite group of former board members – our Emeritus. These forever champions of UWCC include Debbie Fitzgerald, Thomas Rice, Kathy Silverberg, Sue Sifrit, Leah Valenti, Steve Vito, and W. Kevin Russell and now Harvey Goldberg.
At United Way of Charlotte County, we know that we are better together. Harvey Goldberg is a shining example of what can be accomplished by a Community United. Like Paul Harvey, he has proven himself loyal to what he believes in, and for that, I am grateful.
We take time today to recognize Harvey for his individual contributions to the greater work we are doing to break the cycle of poverty in Charlotte County. Time will tell what, “the rest of the story” is for Harvey Goldberg, but I trust that he has more to contribute in Charlotte County in the days, months and years ahead.
If you would like to contribute to moving the needle on poverty in our community, please connect with us at www.unitedwayccfl.org. You can sign up for volunteer opportunities, attend an event (Beaujolais tickets are on sale!) or perhaps join Women United.
For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.