Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110076
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
An obvious observation? Perhaps. But it still isn't obvious enough.
If it were, there would be less complacency about failure to reach local United Way fund-raising goals. Such failure would not be ignored, nor would it be attributed to United Way of Roanoke Valley - which raises more money per staff member than any similar-size United Way in the nation.
No, falling short in annual campaigns would be seen for what it is: an unflattering and unacceptable reflection on our community.
As for falling short in every campaign since 1988, as United Way fund-raisers in the Roanoke Valley have - well, that should bother a lot more people than it does.
Fortunately, this year as every year, we get a chance to redeem ourselves.
At noon today, United Way of Roanoke Valley kicks off its 1995 fall effort with a luncheon at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. This year's goal has been set at $5 million, a 5 percent increase - or $236,000 - over the amount raised in last year's campaign.
If we as a community can't meet this target, we should be ashamed - ashamed because we can reach it, ashamed because we should.
In the Roanoke Valley last year, the average United Way annual gift was $72.37. That left us with a rank of 28th among 31 U.S. communities of similar size. The median average gift for the 31 communities was $113.76.
We don't need even to approach the median to substantially improve our effort. If each Roanoke Valley resident who gave to United Way last year contributed only 50 cents more per week this year, an extra million dollars would be raised - enough to smash the 1995 goal. Pride alone says we can do this.
And more than pride is at stake. United Way campaign goals aren't set arbitrarily. They bear a relation not just to the disposable income of valley residents, but also to the needs of their neighbors.
From 1990 through 1994, total campaign giving grew at an average of only 1.5 percent per year, and the number of people giving declined. Yet, meanwhile, local needs for services have increased while funding from other sources has diminished.
The fact is that we cannot progress as a valley - we cannot protect what we cherish about living here - if we turn away from teen pregnancy, domestic violence, child neglect and abuse, inadequate health care and other ills that cripple self-sufficiency and diminish our community.
United Way partner agencies do not merely serve the needy. They address problems that, left unaddressed, will impose growing costs and pain in the future. Their services help hold the place together.
Let's determine, then, for the first time in seven years, to meet an attainable goal and break an intolerable trend. Five million for United Way: It's within a self-respecting community's capacity to achieve.
by CNB