A goal achieved: United Way’s success will help to transform lives

The results are in — and after a long and extended campaign — Wayne County individuals and businesses have pulled through and helped the United Way achieve its 2005-06 fundraising goal.

The going wasn’t easy this year. There were many, many demands on the county’s pocketbooks. There were the victims of Katrina and other hurricanes to care for — and many local needy families who needed help to make Christmas a reality.

And, not surprisingly, Wayne County residents proved once again that their hearts and checkbooks are ready and willing to help not only those hundreds of miles away, but their neighbors as well.

The United Way is the kind of organization whose efforts are very far-reaching. From the programs that serve shut-in senior citizens and young children to the more readily recognizable Boy Scouts, there are plenty of ways that United Way funds support programs that change people’s lives.

But all the campaigns and programs in the world are worthless if there is not a community to support them.

And support them is exactly what this community did this year.

Thanks to the generosity of so many, the United Way will be able to completely fund the local programs it has planned to support in 2006. That means our neighbors will be able to count on many of these organizations for services that they depend on and need.

And even though this was not an easy year to find the extra funds, many businesses and individuals went out of their way to make sure that the United Way would not miss its goal, even though it seemed like this might be an off-year as 2005 came to a close.

Their extra effort will make a significant difference in the lives of many Wayne County families this year.

The United Way serves so many in so many ways, it is really hard to quantify just what a donation to the organization means.

But the words “hope” and “a chance at a better life” offer a bit of an insight into what its efforts mean to local families faced with the challenges life brings.

Published in Editorials on January 13, 2006 11:51 AM