Brian Curran scores a touchdown (15 photos)

Brian Curran is a football fan.

That's where he found his enthusiasm for the touchdown cheer, he says.

He's also the captain of the team that won the 2008 United Way President's Award last night.

Curran, president and chief executive officer of PUC Services Inc., accepted the award on behalf of the Sault utility during the United Way Spirit Awards at Docks.

The evening was dubbed Touchdown Night.

Curran is seen giving the touchdown cheer for Best First Time Campaign Award winner Pollard Banknote Limited, the first team to score a touchdown at the United Way's 2008 wrap-up event.

PUC's touchdown came a little later on the program.

The PUC was recognized for leadership and service to the United Way's member agencies and the community.

Or at least that's what Emcee Brian McKenzie said.

We think the award probably as much to do with Curran having the rockinest touchdown cheer room, as with an outstanding in-house campaign by the utility's employees and retirees.

And the fact that the PUC also provided sponsorship and in-kind services to many other organizations and not-for-profits over the years.

PUC Service Inc's positive example and capable leadership made it the president's choice for 2008.

Steven Culligan and Lisa Kenopic accepted Pollard Banknote's touchdown award for 2008 Best First-Time Campaign.

The 2008 Outstanding Corporate Campaign winner for a corporation with less than 100 employees was RBC Royal Bank.

The corporation with more than 100 employees to win the award was Soo Mill & Lumber Company Ltd.

The employee campaign award winners for a company with less than 100 people was the Sault Ste. Marie Area Ministry of Transportation Provincial Highways Management office.

The 2008 Outstanding Employee Campaign Award winner for the company with more than 100 employees was Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

Canadian Mental Health Association Executive Director Annette Katajamaki accepted the 2008 Outstanding Agency Campaign award for 100 percent participation, raising 100 percent of its goal in just two days.

The Chair's Award of Merit for a corporation with less than 100 employees went to Ministry of Natural Resources Aviation, which raised funds with a voluntary employee payroll deduction and some rather unique activities such as a lunch-hour mini putt.

"The United Way is very important to us," said Thom McDonough, an MNR forest stand establishment manager. "We recognized very early that we have a lot of golfers on the floor, but by the time the United Way gets rolling golf tournaments are not an opportunity."

So MNR Aviation hosted an indoor lunch-hour golf tournament that many employees anticipate for the whole year.

It sort of becomes a round of mini-putt with some interesting twists and obstacles, said McDonough.

"It's a very difficult course," he said. "You can imagine the greens are really fast being on carpet and there are lots of obstacles."

Staff who volunteer to organize the event design the course with obstacles that reflect what they do in their every day work.

"We had a toilet seats as obstacles," McDonough said. "Being in forestry of course, as you would expect, we had stumps and logs as obstacles. Things that are particularly relevant to the people who are designing the hole."

McDonough said the staff also brings food for a potluck the day of the indoor golf tournament.

Tenaris Algoma Tubes won the 2008 Chair's Award of Merit for its 'text book' campaign, raising $14,717 for the United Way in just two weeks.

This year's United Way Campaign Chair, Jim McLean, presented the Outstanding Volunteer Contribution award to the evening's emcees, Brian McKenzie and Jodi Nastor.

Then he introduced next year's chair, Bill Thorton and instructed everyone to eat the food and mingle.

Not even Brian Curran needed a lot of encouragement to do that.

The United Way also scored a couple of real football players from St. Mary's Collegiate to help give out the awards last night.

Alex Morrison and Brandon Corelli were the Knights on hand for the occasion.