ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040070
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
The 36 local human service agencies that depend on the United Way of Montgomery, Floyd & Radford for all or part of their operating dollars got some good news last week, as the campaign announced it had exceeded its 1996 goal.
A total of $930,389 was pledged during the fund drive, which began last September. That represents 103 percent of the $900,000 campaign target.
It's also about $72,000 more than the campaign raised last year, when donations fell short of the goal.
"We're very, very excited," said Kymn Davidson-Hamley, United Way's executive director.
Vigorous employee campaigns by local businesses and industries made the difference, she said.
United Way announced the campaign results at its annual awards and volunteer recognition ceremony, which was held Thursday at the Farmhouse Restaurant in Christiansburg.
Among the awards was a citation for Federal-Mogul Corp. of Blacksburg, which has led employee campaigns donations from 1990 to 1996.
The campaign also recognized employee campaigns that doubled their donations from the previous year. They were Alliant Techsystems, town of Blacksburg, Federal Express, First American Bank, First Virginia Bank Southwest, Floyd County schools, J.C. Penney, Kollmorgen Corp.'s Industrial Drives, L.L. Brown Insurance Agency, Lowe's, New River Community Action, Plymouth Inc., Professional Communications Inc., Sears, Townside Realtors, the city of Radford, United Parcel Service, Waste Policy Institute, Weiman Upholstery and the Women's Resource Center.
Once again, the area's state employees contributed the largest share of campaign dollars. The $230,800 they pledged was slightly higher than the previous year, when workplace downsizing dramatically reduced the amount that state employees donated.
The United Way committee charged with distributing funds to the campaign's agency partners will begin meeting soon, Davidson-Hamley said. Its task will be much easier than last year with a surplus rather than a shortfall, she added.
Some United Way donors designate which organization they want to support with their charity. Others give to a general fund, and the United Way allocates these dollars in response to budget requests from the agencies it supports.
United Way also announced that Butch Irvine of Central Fidelity Bank will be the 1997 campaign chairman. Dan Specht led the recently completed campaign.
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