James H. Buford: ‘You are obligated to give back’
African Americans reach out through local United Way
This is the first in a series of profiles to coincide with the campaign season for the former African-American Leadership Giving Initiative at the United Way of Greater St. Louis.
People throughout the region are committed to helping the United Way of Greater St. Louis ensure that health and human services are available when they are needed. Among the caring are thousands of African Americans who pledge gifts through the United Way campaign. In 2004, 570 African Americans pledged leadership gifts of $1,000 or more as part of the Charmaine Chapman Society.
James H. Buford is one who cares for this community through his United Way gift. The Charmaine Chapman Charter member is president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, a not-for-profit agency that is funded by United Way.
“I have been blessed to have the resources to have a good quality of life for me and my family, and I feel I must share,” he said.
Giving so that others can be served did not start when Buford became head of a social service organization. It began much earlier in life.
“My grandfather was my primary role model,” he said. “As a teenager, I worked in my grandfather’s cleaning establishment. I observed his generosity to customers who sometimes could not pay their cleaning bill. He also gave them funds to help pay their bills and gave unclaimed clothing to those who were needy. He instilled in me a philosophy that one must give to those who are in need because God has blessed you. You are obligated to give back.”
Buford is actively involved in the community and often addresses equality and quality of life issues in public forums. He also serves on the board of another United Way agency, the Boy Scouts of America-St. Louis Area Council.
Buford’s generosity abounds. He and his wife Susan are among 23 African Americans who are members of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of givers who contributed $10,000 or more to the annual campaign. Buford noted that when de Tocqueville, a Frenchman, visited America in the early 1800s, he admired a phenomenon unique to America – volunteerism.
“The Alexis de Tocqueville Society should be considered by those who have been blessed,” Buford said. “They have a duty to share. One should ask oneself, ‘Based on my resources, am I ‘tipping’ the United Way or am I giving a contribution?'”
Buford notes that local companies and people who contribute their gifts through United Way ultimately help build a healthier community for us all.
“I have cousins who have needed housing assistance, a niece who received utility and daycare assistance,” he said. It could be a family member, a friend, or a coworker, or you who benefits from services provided by a United Way funded agency.
The United Way funds 200 agencies and organizations that provide vital health and human services to more than one million people each year. Many are at the forefront caring for survivors of Hurricane Katrina – American Red Cross, Salvation Army and others. The United Way allocates nearly $15.1 million or 33 percent of all funds annually to agencies and organizations that report they predominately serve African Americans, including Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center, the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Boys and Girls Club and Grace Hill Settlement House.
The Charmaine Chapman Society is a leadership giving program through the United Way of Greater St. Louis that recognizes African Americans who give $1,000 or more to the annual fund-raising campaign. Founded in 1994 by St. Louis American publisher Donald M. Suggs, the Charmaine Chapman Society has been heralded nationally as a model program.
For more information on how you can make a difference in the lives of people in our community through the United Way’s Charmaine Chapman Society, call (314) 539-4116 or visit PledgeUnitedWay.org.