United Way drive gets started
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on July 30, 2007 1:45 PM
This year's United Way campaign began Friday at 4 p.m. with a mini-kickoff for the Frontrunners at Moffatt Auditorium on Wayne Community College's campus.
Frontrunners are businesses and groups that set the pace for the United Way campaign each year by starting their campaigning early and usually bringing in the most money.
Last year, the Frontrunners impacted a total of 5,300 lives.
The top five Frontrunners of last year's campaign were the Goldsboro News-Argus, Wayne Community College, Cooper Bussmann, Southco Distributing and Cooper Standard Automotive. The top Frontrunner improved 3060 lives alone.
United Way Executive Director Steve Parr said that the list for this year's Frontrunners is about the same as past years, but a few new names appear on the list.
Daniels and Daniels Construction Co., Piedmont Natural Gas, Strickland Insurance Group and Georgia-Pacific are new to the Frontrunner line-up.
The Frontrunners start the campaign off every year.
"What we try to do is have some momentum built up in the community before kicking off the rest of the campaign," Parr said.
Jimmie Ford, this year's United Way campaign chairman, said, "We try to build up the enthusiasm in Wayne County and try to get people out who want to come on board and reach out to the community."
Last year's numbers help the United Way gauge this year's campaign, but even then, Parr wants the Frontrunners to step up their campaigns.
"We are asking them to consider achieving a 4 percent increase in the money they raise to improve more lives," he said.
Eleven names round out the list, including Excell Home Fashions, Franklin Bakery Company, Moffatt Oil Company, Southco Distributing, Wayne Community College, Wayne County Public Library and Wayne County Public Schools.
Campaign reports from the Frontrunners will be in on Aug. 14 at 4 p.m., about an hour and a half before the Taste of Wayne County begins.
Ford said, "(The Frontrunners report) will really be an energizer to the campaign."