The Rowan County United Way campaign kickoff got off to a triumphant and rowdy start Friday at a lunch meeting with the campaign Pacesetters. The Pacesetters reported pledges that amounted to 25 percent more than their pledges last year.

The Pacesetters’ goal was to raise 20 percent of the campaigns total goal of $2 million, or $400,000. They announced pledges of $491,000. That’s 24.6 percent of the campaign’s total goal.

The meeting began with cheers led by Leadership Chairman Ronnie Smith, who started out in a conservative dark suit but quickly peeled down to a University of North Carolina T-shirt that he emphasized by waving blue pompoms.

But during the hour, the N.C. State faction held its own, with red T-shirts and red pompoms.

Campaign Chairman Richard Perkins told the group, “We have a serious task at hand, but we’re going to have some fun along the way.”

He said the campaign goal of $2 million was “trying to be realistic.”

“We could use $2.3 million,” he said, “but we know it’s been a tough year.”

Almost all the reporting companies said they were operating with fewer employees than they’d had the previous year, but they managed to get pledges exceeding last year’s amounts, and in many cases even exceeding their goals for the 2000 campaign.

One of the most dramatic presentations came from Draftex. Six employees acted out a racing theme, each carrying a poster showing one of the automobiles for which the company makes weather seals. After the “start your engines” command, a recorded roar of engines sent the employees racing around the perimeter of the room.

When they came back to the front of the audience, they announced their pledges — $78,359.

The audience cheered and blew noise makers and waved the red and blue pompoms with extra congratulations, because the company’s pledge last year was $6,000.

At the end of the reports, Perkins said he was humbled by the accomplishments of the Pacesetters and the generosity of the community.

In an earlier interview, Perkins said that in presentations with the Pacesetter companies he got the impression the public is “very aware” of the needs in Rowan County.

“I have been humbled by their willingness to set up their contributions to cover the shortfall created by the recent layoffs,” he said. “I am confident Pacesetter companies will meet or exceed our goal.”

Explaining how campaign volunteers are trying to compensate for greater need and lost jobs in the community, Perkins said, “It’s not so much that we’re doing anything different as that we are trying to do more of it.”

This involves taking more representatives from the agencies that United Way funds to presentations, and letting these representatives help educate the community. “The more we tell the story about the services, the better we’ll do. Everything is about education.” Perkins said.

The results of Pacesetter pledges have been “kind of amazing,”Pacesetter Chairman Jeff Smith said. “It shows when the community needs it. Everyone steps up, looking to reach out. People are showing they’re willing to step in and fill the gap.”

United Way Pacesetter results

• Vulcan Materials — $3,256.48.
• Wal-Mart (Kannapolis) — $14,000
• Dillards — $$29,456.55
• Rowan Business Forms — $3,105
• National Starch — $42,216.48
• Salisbury-Rowan Merchants Association — $2,710
• BPI — $30,718
• Imperial — $2,932
• City of Salisbury — $44,242.49
• Southtrust Bank — $4,300
• Draftex — $78,359
• Parkdale Mills — $35,286.92
• Special Gifts — $11,100
• Norandal — $31,355
• Catawba College — $21,630.08
• Rowan-Salisbury Schools — $95,571.14
• United Way Agencies — $9,056
• Wal-Mart (Salisbury) $32,200

TOTAL — $491,495.14