Last push: Only a little more than a week to get United Way through the hump

The United Way of Wayne County is full of dedicated volunteers who have been laboring since this past summer to raise the money necessary to allow the organization to help as many county residents as possible in the coming year.

Not the least of those leading the charge is Lynn Williams, this year's campaign chairman.

But she and her team have hit a wall of sorts -- a time when all their hard work has come down to a deadline -- and quite a bit more to raise.

And that is why, now, they want to make sure their community understands just how critical this need is and how important your participation is in reaching the organization's 2010-11 goal.

The United Way is an organization that awards funding to groups within this community who make a difference in the lives of its residents. Volunteers keep their eyes on how the money is spent and target funds at causes rather than symptoms. So, your money goes to teach people how to read, for preventive health education and programs and to keep young people busy after school, for example, not to welfare, food stamps, prisons and juvenile justice.

The United Way is an investment in your community's future, a chance to attack some of the concerns that plague it at the source. It is a chance to offer different choices and helping hands to families who need them.

It is a way to make sure your money goes to organizations that are going to be held accountable for putting it to good use.

But without your dollars and support, the United Way is nothing. So, if you have not already donated, please consider doing so this week.

This time, it really will take a community.

Published in Editorials on December 6, 2010 10:53 AM