United Way fails to meet its goal
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009
By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
The Rowan County United Way hasn’t reached its goal for the coming year, and barring some last-minute pledges, area organizations may suffer.
“The reality is, we’re still $158,000 short,” said Kim Shore, president of the United Way’s board of directors. “If we can’t get any closer, we’re going to have to make some decisions. We may have to cut programs.”
Staff members and volunteers held their final campaign luncheon Wednesday at the local Red Cross offices. The drive had already been extended a week in hopes of making the goal.
It didn’t happen.
United Way officials announced the community pledged $1,813,646 of the organization’s goal of $1,971,200. That’s 92 percent of what they’d hoped for.
Shore said pledges can still be made through the end of the year.
“Hopefully, companies and individuals will continue to give,” he said.
Shore said if the goal isn’t reached, decisions about what to cut will have to be made. He said Wednesday he didn’t know what organizations might lose funding. The United Way has 17 member agencies.Shore said the biggest problem with fundraising this year has been the downturn in the economy, described on many fronts as the worst in more than 50 years.
“It has been a tough year,” Shore admitted.
Others at Wednesday’s meeting stressed that campaign organizers had much to be proud of. Campaign Chairman Chuck Elliott said he hoped the United Way’s goal might still be reached via late pledges.
“We’re not quite there, yet, but we’ve made a lot of progress,” he said. “We’ve got good things to report in a very difficult year.”
Elliott agreed that the crux of the problem stemmed from a problem economy. He said those who have headed fund drives at local corporations have all said difficulty getting pledges is a reflection of current economic turmoil.
Ronnie Smith, the United Way’s chief cheerleader, led staff members and volunteers through a series of cheers Wednesday, then encouraged everyone to continue to seek pledges.
“We’re in overtime now in the United Way,” Smith said. “It’s like Yogi Berra said, ‘It ain’t over ’til it’s over.’ ”
Donations or pledges to the United Way can be sent to: Rowan County United Way, P.O. Box 5065, Salisbury, NC 28144-0088.