United Way's Nancy Jernigan speaks at First Friday Coffee

The United Way of Southeast Missouri has grown from a fund-raising organization into one that seeks to tackle community issues, its director said Friday.

"We now define ourselves as a community impact organization," director Nancy Jernigan told a crowd of more than 200 people at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center.

To that end, the United Way through its "Success By 6" program has worked to encourage child-care centers to become accredited. The area currently has four accredited centers and 10 more are seeking accreditation, said Jernigan.

That affects more than 700 children, she said.

The United Way also wants to find ways to improve child-care accessibility for low-income families.

Lack of adequate transportation remains a major problem for such families, said Jernigan.

More than 3,200 Cape Girardeau County children qualify for the federal government's free or reduced-price lunch program. Jernigan said that reflects the level of poverty in the area.

The United Way will continue to work to address societal problems in the area, she said.

"We are pulling folks together. That is one thing we are really good at," she told the crowd.

Jernigan said the local United Way still raises money to assist community organizations and charities. The United Way has raised more than $1.1 million in its current fund drive. Top corporate contributions increased by 8.5 percent on average in the latest fund-raising campaign, she said.