United Way hoping to reach goal in overtime

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009

By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
With almost $266,000 still needed to meet this year’s goal, the Rowan County United Way is taking its annual fundraising campaign into overtime.
Though the grand finale had been planned for the same time as the car drawing Thursday evening, United Way staff and volunteers decided to extend the campaign until Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Ronnie Smith, chief cheerleader for United Way, said the timing coincides with the start of the 2008-2009 ACC men’s basketball schedule. In fact, pledge cards reading, “Yes, I’ll help United Way score an overtime victory!” are being distributed inside a brochure of the schedule.
Smith encouraged the 80 or so people at the meeting to take a handful of schedules and pledge cards to give to people who have not yet had a chance to contribute. He asked people to personally place the pledge cards in someone’s hands and ask that person to make a donation.
“We want everybody, everybody in Rowan County to have an opportunity to contribute,” he said. “We’re at 87 percent, and we need your help.”
Salisbury City Manager David Treme, who gave the invocation, asked for God to look upon the United Way campaign with favor and compared the 16 agencies it funds to God’s hands as they provide love and care to people in need.
Campaign Chairman Chuck Elliott started the weekly meeting by asking agency representatives to review the services they offer in the county for the 12 finalists for the new car and their families, friends and coworkers.
(Larry Johnson, who contributed to the campaign through his job at Norandal USA, won the new car.)
So far, the campaign has raised $1.7 million ó 86.5 percent ó of the $1.97 million goal. “We’re going to get there,” Elliott said. “We’re going to pass it.”
Three of 13 divisions have already exceeded their goals. The Miscellaneous division, which consists of people who work out of the county and designate their United Way donations to Rowan, raised $81,009 or 135 percent of its goal. Commercial 3 raised $76,928 or 106.3 percent of its goal; and Special Gifts raised $127,178 or 101.4 percent of its goal.
Other totals by division are: Chairmans – $429,090 or 85.7 percent of its goal; Commercial 1 – $61,444 or 76.8 percent; Commercial 2 – $80,077 or 94.4 percent; Community Business – $6,155 or 72.4 percent; Education – $215,068 or 98.3 percent;
Industrial 1 – $63,683 or 63.5 percent; Industrial 2 – $54,068 or 59.9 percent; Presidents – $311,353 or 83 percent; Professionals – $84,663 or 77 percent; and Public Employees – $114,606 or 79 percent.