By Staff
One of the first gatherings of any kind I attended after coming to work as The Standard's managing editor in early October was the luncheon held to kick off this year's United Fund drive in Brewton and East Brewton. In a lot of ways it was the perfect introduction to the cities. I was able to meet a lot of great people, and see them involved in something I've come to learn is an important part of this community's character -- working hard to assist in a worthwhile effort.
The United Fund, I found out at the luncheon, had dropped its affiliation with the United Way to make sure all the money raised in Brewton and East Brewton would be spent here, in the communities themselves. There were 15 charitable agencies designated to receive funding from the United Fund, ranging from the YMCA and the Girl Scouts to the public library and local chapters of the Red Cross and Salvation Army.
The idea? To raise $90,000 to be split among the 15 agencies. It seemed a lofty goal at the time, but now, only three months later, that goal has been met. It shouldn't have been a surprise, considering that a year earlier the United Fund had also met the mark it was aiming for -- at that time, $80,000.
The United Fund's board of directors is made up of volunteers who have dedicated their time to organizing the fundraising effort. Now they will be charged with allocating the $90,000 raised to the benefit of the 15 agencies it set out to help -- a gratifying culmination to three months worth of hard work in the service of an excellent cause.
Congratulation to everyone who worked as part of this year's United Fund drive, and gave of their time and energy to make it such a huge success. Setting and then meeting such an ambitious goal for the purpose of helping the community has done immeasurable good, and will serve as an example to future people with similar goals, be they United Fund members or those involved with other caring groups in our community.