United Way surpasses goal
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on January 13, 2005 2:03 PM
United Way of Wayne County surpassed its 2004 campaign goal by $39,000, raising a total of $1,371,028.88.
Volunteers held up the numbers as Donnie Barnes, 2004 campaign chairman, made the announcement Wednesday at the United Way's annual awards luncheon.
That amount was $32,000 more than was raised in 2001, which was the most United Way has ever raised here, said Barnes.
The money will provide various forms of help for 27,420 people in Wayne County this year.
The total was 5 1/2 percent more than was raised the previous year.
News-Argus/Becky Barclay
Campaign Chairman Awards were presented to, from left, Diane Andrews, Cooper Standard; Doreatha Wynn and Gail Charles, city of Goldsboro; David Perry, Goldsboro Builders Supply; and Lee Johnson and Steve Taylor, Wayne County Public Schools.
Awards were also presented during the luncheon. Receiving Campaign Chairman Awards were Goldsboro Builders Supply, a first-time campaign that raised $6,648; Cooper Standard Co., which raised $9,000 in 2002, $21,000 in 2003 and $66,143 last year; Wayne Memorial Hospital, which raised $161,528 last year; Wayne County Public Schools, which raised $84,890, a 21 percent increase over 2003; and the City of Goldsboro, which raised $32,658, a 25 percent increase.
Six organizations received Bush Andrews Awards, which recognize campaigns in which 80 percent of a company's employees gave their fair share of one hour's pay per month with a corporate match of 50 percent or in which 90 percent of employees give their fair share. The organizations were United Way of Wayne County, the Goldsboro News-Argus, Goldsboro Builders Supply, Moffatt Oil Co., the Wayne County Chapter of the American Red Cross and Grand Rental Station.
Inaugural Awards were also given to businesses that conducted first-time campaigns. They were Goldsboro Builders Supply; Keen Plumbing; Goldsboro Medical Clinic; New Century Bank; Barnes, Braswell and Haithcock; Wachovia Securities; and Goldsboro Pediatrics.
"When we did the Front Runners campaign and that number came in -- $110,784 -- it certainly gave us an optimism that maybe things would be better this year," Barnes said. Front Runners are businesses and groups that finish their drives before the general campaign began.
Barnes said that some first-time campaigns helped push the amount over the goal, too.
"We had the same problem we have every year," said Barnes. "We had a company that gave us $10,000 in 2003 that gave us nothing last year. We had another company that gave $30,000 in 2003 that gave us only $20,000 last year. And we had a company that gave us an $8,000 corporate donation in 2003 that didn't give anything last year.
"So we had a lot of losses, but fortunately we were able to make them all up."
Barnes said this was not a United Way campaign with a United Way goal, but a community campaign with a community goal. He said it all comes down to donors. "When you think about it, we're literally talking about thousands of people who gave money to the 2004 campaign," he said. "The average donation per person was probably less than $150.
"We can recruit all the volunteers we want and they can go out and make a great employee presentation. But if the people don't give, then you don't raise any money. In the end, it all comes down to the people who give United Way money. And this year, they did."