Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
AUGUSTA — United Way of Kennebec Valley recently named Chuck and Maria Hays as its next campaign co-chairs, charged with leading the organization’s 2017 fundraising efforts.
Chuck Hays is president and chief executive officer of MaineGeneral Health, and Maria Hays is a professor at the University of Maine at Augusta. They will lend their expertise in building prosperous community partnerships to mobilize the caring power of those who live and work in Kennebec Valley, according to a news release from the organization.
The pair will chair the campaign with their two adult children, Chuck and Katie, the release said. A Campaign Cabinet, comprising business and community leaders who will facilitate campaign support from across the region, the Hays family will lead the United Way in expanding its network of individual and corporate donors, according to the United Way. As part of its annual initiative, United Way’s workplace campaigns engage more than 125 local businesses each year, representing over 3,500 donors. Last year, donations to United Way totaled more than $1.5 million and assisted over 19,000 people in 49 programs across the region.
Chuck Hays joined MaineGeneral in 1995 as director of engineering. As senior vice-president and chief operating officer, he headed the team responsible for the construction and operation of the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, which opened in 2007. Later that year he was named president and CEO of MaineGeneral Medical Center before becoming president and CEO of the parent company, MaineGeneral Health, in 2012.
Through corporate and employee donations, MaineGeneral has distinguished itself among United Way’s 12 Cornerstone Partners, which collectively make up more than 45 percent of UWKV’s annual campaign. The health care system supports all of United Way’s initiatives, including the Augusta Community Warming Center, a program that provides a safe, warm place for people to escape from the cold in winter months. MaineGeneral also collects food for United Way’s Food Pantry Project and supports the Day of Caring student volunteer program, according to the organization.
“Our employees live, work and play in the Kennebec Valley. We take very seriously our leadership role in supporting those most in need in our communities,” Hays said. “Supporting the United Way of Kennebec Valley is a natural extension of the caring and compassion we bring to giving the best care possible, and our family is honored to lead the United Way campaign this year.”
Maria Hays, an adjunct faculty member in the medical laboratory technology program at UMA, has worked in the clinical laboratory field, as well as the immunology and oncology fields, for biotechnology companies.
When the family moved to Maine in 1996, she was instructor in the science department for the Maine Community College System. She completed a master’s degree in life science at the University of Maryland in 2005. In the past, she has worked for Kennebec Valley Community College, Central Maine Community College and St. Joseph’s College.
“In our family, giving back to the community has always been a priority,” she said. “As campaign leaders, we hope to help people recognize that making a gift through United Way enables the community to solve problems that none of us can solve alone.”
