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

DATE: SUNDAY, November 6, 1994                   TAG: 9411070014
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: JO LYNN PRICE
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

UNITED WAY, HELPING MANY, IS MUCH MORE THAN `CHARITY'

Stop to think for a moment about the person who had the greatest influence on your life. For me, that someone was my grandfather, who inspired love and closeness in our family.

After suffering a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, my family wanted to care for him at home. Although we had come to expect his death, there is never an easy way to handle such a loss. But my family and I will always remember the compassion and patience the Blacksburg Rescue Squad showed during this time.

I had never thought about the rescue squad as a United Way partner agency - or that our family would ever need help from a "charity." How often we forget the very presence of valuable services until we need them. We hope in our perfect world we will never need help provided by United Way agencies, but more than likely you or someone close to you will need the very services that are now asking for your help.

There are no guarantees in life. It could be you or a loved one who needs a local rescue squad following a car accident. It could be you or your daughter in need of counseling and support from the Women's Resource Center. We may need donated blood from the American Red Cross. It would be a rosy world to think that we could get through it without at least one of the 35 partner agencies coming to our side.

We hear of natural disasters all over the world - fires, earthquakes, floods - but have we forgotten the blizzard of '92 or the ice storms of '93? United Way agencies came to the aid of many families who never expected to need help.

In the 1994 United Way Day of Caring, I and 155 other volunteers had the chance to see our agencies at work. It was an incredible experience to see our community members pull together to help their neighbors. I saw volunteers helping with the Red Cross bloodmobile, sorting clothes at the Radford Clothing Bank, serving meals at the Radford-Fairlawn Daily Bread, beginning renovations on a Habitat for Humanity project.

Someone told me when I accepted the position of United Way chairwoman that I had a big job ahead of me, but I think we all have a big responsibility in our day-to-day life. I have found that when I give, the receiving is so much greater.

Every dollar counts in helping people and changing the lives of people here in our community. Your dollar counts as we all pitch in and, together, shoulder the responsibility of providing for our neighbors. On behalf of the thousands of local people helped by your generosity through the United Way of Montgomery County and Radford - "Thank you."

Jo Lynn Price is 1994 campaign chairwoman for the United Way of Montgomery County and Radford and assistant vice president of First National Bank.

by CNB