UNITED WAY DRIVE NEARS GOAL

With the end of 1996 near, the Area Wide United Way has achieved 91 percent of this year's $525,000 campaign goal.

More than $480,000 has been collected by the United Way this year to help agencies provide health and human services and programming during 1997.

In June each year, agencies submit funding requests to the United Way that are then reviewed by a volunteer board. If an agency's programs are community- and service-oriented, and the agency meets other criteria, the board approves the funding request.

Actual funding allocations are not reviewed until December, near the end of the year's funding campaign.

"Most of the requests were higher this year, but we tried to get the organizations what they requested," said Deanna McCutchen, administrative assistant for United Way. "We tried to stay within reason."

Twenty-one area organizations were awarded nearly $370,000 in funding during the United Way board meeting to review allocation requests on Wednesday. Allocations for 1997 ranged from $1,407 to $65,000, which is only slightly more than the 1996 allocations. The $65,000 allocation was given to the American Red Cross.

The agencies will begin to receive funding in January. After that, McCutchen said, disbursement checks will be issued quarterly.

McCutchen said the campaign is important because it allows the United Way to help other organizations help the community. It will become even more important in the future because of stricter welfare guidelines, she said.

"Within the next year, with welfare reform, there will be a lot more need," McCutchen said. "We will have to be ready to try to meet that increased need. We have a very small reserve fund set aside so that we can provide additional funding to agencies in case of an emergency like a flood or earthquake, but it's very small."

McCutchen said the United Way will continue collecting until it meets its goal.