UNITED WAY HOLDS VICTORY PARTY AFTER RAISING MORE THAN $750,000

Those who helped run the Area Wide United Way's 1999 campaign, those representing companies who contributed to it and those who run agencies that will benefit from those contributions all gathered for a victory party Friday afternoon.

To the strains of the Jerry Ford Orchestra, which help kicked off the campaign Aug. 26, they celebrated the campaign surpassing it's goal of $750,000 during a reception at Dempster Hall at Southeast Missouri State University.

While the campaign won't official close until the United Way's annual meeting in January, as of Friday, the 1999 campaign had raised $773,712.01.

Many of the agencies that will receive money from the campaign had made cards or sent representatives to thank those who gave so generously."It means so much to us day-in and day-out," said Mary Burton of the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter. "When we don't have to worry so much about fund-raising, we can concentrate more on serving clients."Members of the Girls Scouts of Otahki Council held up a sign thanking United Way "for making dreams come true.""We are proud of the work we do because of the agencies we support and the work they do," said Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the Area Wide United Way.

Craig Wells, 1999 campaign chairman, noted those companies that had increased donations to United Way significantly over last year. These were Cape Public School, 447 percent; Easter Seals, 330 percent; Jackson R-2 Schools, 135 percent; Schnucks, 85 percent; General Sign, 72 percent; Wal-Mart in Jackson, 62 percent; St. Francis Medical Center, 61 percent; Hoover Eldercare, 49 percent; KFVS-TV, 44 percent; Alliance Blue Cross/Blue Shield, 40 percent; Bank of Missouri, 34 percent; and City of Cape Girardeau, 34 percent.

He also recognized companies where United Way campaigns were held for the first time this year: Alliance Bank, KBSI-TV, Shop-Ko and Thorngate.

The largest company campaign cntribution came from Procter &