The United Way of Southeast Missouri has distributed $850,000, mostly from its 2011 campaign collections, to local programs and services to help those in need in the Cape Girardeau, Jackson, and Scott City areas.

A panel of 25 individuals met in early September to review the outcomes reported by all funded programs from the past year.

"The outcomes were impressive as agencies continue to do more with less," said Jay Wolz, United Way Board member and Allocations Committee chair. "Collectively, our funded programs are having a significant impact in meeting the needs of our community. The results support the need for our work."

Funded programs reported 46,495 individuals served with United Way funding this past year. Programs focused on helping youth be successful continues to receive the largest share of funding at approximately 55 percent with programs meeting basic needs receiving around 35 percent and services for seniors, the abused and neglected receiving around 10 percent.

This is the last year of a three-year allocations cycle for the United Way's funded agencies.

"Next spring the funded partners will submit new applications for another three-year funding cycle, which will start in September 2013," said executive director Nancy Jernigan.

The majority of the allocated funds were pledges made in the 2011 community campaign. Additional funds were raised by the GRACES Women's Council and Youth United Way. High school students from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Notre Dame and Saxony participate in the Youth United Way. Students raised $16,500 and invested those funds to provide additional support for the Boys & Girls Club needed due to the increased numbers of students served, to sponsor Project Homeless Connect, to sponsor the Missouri Mission Dental clinic coming in 2013, and to start a new children's fund at the Perryville Public Schools.

GRACES is a group of women committed to serving young children in the community. They continue to provide funding for more than 45 families to receive backpacks full of food for the weekend through the school year. They also support the Read to Succeed program which expanded to more than 2,000 students and all five elementary schools in the Cape Girardeau Public School District this year with help from a grant from AmeriCorps in the amount of $107,990.

United Way's 2012 annual campaign is now underway after kicking off in August. To learn more visit www.unitedwayofsemo.org.

* Brian Winans and Mike Taylor of McClure, Ill., will be riding their Harley Davidson motorcycles nonstop covering 1,000 miles in 24 hours in a challenge to raise awareness for cancer. The two riders will held a news conference & send off event Saturday at Bootheel Harley Davidson in Scott City as they begin their journey to Naples, Fla. The two men will then travel through the Florida Everglades to Miami, Key West an Daytona spreading the word along the ride. Bootheel Harley Davidson owner Rob Hocking said with cancer directly affecting many families of Bootheel employees, he was motivated to present an extreme challenge to local riders. The riders will be on two of Harley's most bare-bones models, without windshields, air ride or protection from the elements. Brian Winans said he even had to mount an auxiliary gas tank on his bike to prepare for the trip. "We will be suffering through this trip. No doubt about it. We're going to be in the elements, we're going to get rained on, we're going to get cold. But that is a small amount of suffering compared to what the average cancer patient goes through on a daily basis," Winans said. "That's how we are looking at it and that's what is going to get us through." While the trip does coincide with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is designed to raise awareness and funds for those battling all types of cancer. Bootheel will track the men's trip on its Facebook page for those who want to follow the riders' progress.

* Southeast Missouri State University's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has been recognized in The Princeton Review in the new 2013 edition of its annual guidebook, "The Best 296 Business Schools." The Princeton Review also solicits opinions of students attending these schools who rate and report their experiences in an 80-question survey. The Princeton Review's most recent survey asked 19,000 students at the 296 schools their opinions of their school's academics, student body and campus life as well as about themselves and their career plans. The student surveys analyzed for this edition were completed online and conducted during the 2011-2012, 2010-2011, and 2009-2010 academic years. The Harrison MBA program has been recognized by the Princeton Review for more than six years as one of the top MBA programs in the nation, said Dr. Gerald McDougall, associate provost of Extended and Online Learning and dean of the Donald L. Harrison College of Business. "The Best 296 Business Schools" has two-page profiles of the schools. They include write-ups on academics, career and placement, student life and environment, and admissions. The Princeton Review does not rank the schools or name one business school best overall. However, in the "Survey Says ..." sidebar on the book's Southeast profile, the editors list topics on the survey about which Southeast students surveyed had the highest consensus. Among them are: general management, communication/interpersonal skills, presentation and computer skills. More information on the rankings visit www.princetonreview.com/business-school-rankings. aspx.

* The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce Education Committee will honor area educators at a reception at 4 p.m. Tuesday at The Venue in Cape Girardeau. This year the chamber is recognizing four outstanding educators: Lee Ann Norris, Stacy Stapleton, Marty Vines, and Dr. John Kraemer, as 2012 Educators of the Year.

* The Dance Center in Perryville opened a new studio in Cape Girardeau at 2117 William Street in Heritage Square. The Center offers ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, hip hop and contemporary dance. Competition dance is also offered and the studio has an award-winning dance team. Students as young as 3 years old are accepted. For more information visit www.thedancecentermo.com.

Southeast Missourian Business Editor Melissa Miller can be reached by email at mmiller@semissourian.com or by phone at 388-3646.