
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 21, 1993                   TAG: 9310210276
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

$1 MILLION, SO FAR, FOR UNITED WAY

Five weeks into its 1993 campaign, United Way of Roanoke Valley has raised a little more than $1 million.

Campaign Chairman Joseph H. Vipperman, president of Appalachian Power Co., announced Wednesday that businesses and organizations to date have contributed $1,003,634.

"We now stand at 21.6 percent of the total amount raised in 1992," Vipperman said. "We're only about one-sixth of the point where we need to be in order to meet the needs of the valley United Way agencies."

United Way opted not to cap this year's fund campaign with a target dollar amount. Still, with a later starting date and the absence of "Pacesetter" campaigns usually conducted a month before the full-fledged campaign kicks off, "We are at essentially the same dollar amount we were last year," Vipperman said.

Vipperman attributed some success to the Sept. 14 "Day of Caring." The kickoff event mobilized 2,200 business people, civic group members and government employees into volunteer service at 300 United Way partner agency projects.

Another 60,000 people participated in in-house projects at their workplaces. A drive brought in 21 tons of food.

Last year, United Way of Roanoke Valley raised an estimated $4.65 million. That amount enabled the organization to meet 80 percent of partner agency fund requests.

Dixon Low, vice chairman of United Way's fund distribution committee, said the demand for services at the organization's 36 partner agencies has increased in the past five years. But the amount of money United Way gives to those agencies has remained relatively flat, Low said.

"Trying to decide where to make those cuts is becoming more and more difficult, because the growth of demand continues to outstrip the growth of supply," Low said. "The only effective solution to this set of problems is to increase the supply."

Roanoke Valley's United Way made an effort this year to reach out to companies and organizations that haven't participated in past fund-raising campaigns, Vipperman said. One first-time participant - the Virginia Veterans Care Center in Roanoke - had 105 of its 150 employees contribute $2,730.

United Way will announce a second fund tally next month, followed by a wrap-up report in December, Vipperman said.

by CNB