In a luncheon set to rival the Academy Awards, the United Way of Salt Lake on Wednesday honored businesses and individuals that helped support the organization during the past year.

Presiding Bishop H. David Burton of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received the day's most prestigious award, the United Way's compassionate leader of the year. In presenting the award, last year's winner, developer Kem Gardner, called Bishop Burton "a champion whose service to this community is unequaled and whose tireless efforts to help people of this community and their families is unsurpassed."

Among the LDS Church's most visible faces, Bishop Burton encouraged Utahns to contribute to the United Way through its recent outreach campaign. In accepting his award, Bishop Burton said he shared the honor with all of those who helped "build and bless our community."

"I do represent a lot of people seen and unseen here today," he said.

The United Way of Salt Lake is dedicated to using 100 percent of all of the organization's personal contributions to find long-term solutions to persistent human services issues, said President and CEO Deborah Bayle Nielsen.

"We are working to develop ways to keep people from dealing with these problems in the first place," she said, adding that the United Way is also "committed to providing a safety net for people who are in crisis and giving a hand up to get their lives back on track."

Award winners at Wednesday's 800-person event at the Little America Hotel were introduced through video vignettes honoring their service and dedication to United Way's mission. The other honorees were:

• Best first-time educational workplace campaign of the year — Wal-Mart Distribution Center Grantsville

• Most improved education workplace campaign of the year — Workers Compensation Fund

• Community impact partner of the year — Salt Lake Community Action Program

• Outstanding partner for community change — Love Communications

• Volunteer of the year — Scott W. Pickett, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP

• President's award for excellence — AAA Fair Credit Foundation

• Corporate partner of the year — Williams-Northwest Pipeline

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com