UNITED WAY GIVING

With the end of the dog days of late summer and the start of crisp, cool autumn weather, attention turns to the familiar rhythms of school activities, baseball playoffs, harvest fairs and football games. And there is one other activity that is as sure as the change of seasons: the annual fund-raising campaign of the Area Wide United Way.

With an increased goal of $525,000 this year, United Way is pushing to raise more money than ever before for the 20 agencies in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City that benefit from the campaign.

The bulk of the contributions will come from companies whose employees are urged to give to United Way through payroll deductions. This is an easy way to make a significant contribution and spread it out over an entire year's worth of paychecks. Typically, such employee contributions, usually matched by company pledges, provide the bulk of the United Way effort.

Companies and organizations are in the thick of campaigns to remind employees and associates of the good their United Way dollars do. Some companies have had employees participate in the "Day of Caring" program. Through this program, employees spend a day with one of the United Way-funded agencies. It would be a rare, indeed, to have employees go home after such a day without high regard both for the agency and for United Way's efforts to help through funding.

One Cape Girardeau retailer, like others, involves it employees in United Way activities year around. JCPenney workers have had bake sales, rummage sales and other fund raisers with proceeds earmarked for United Way. The store currently is donating half the proceeds of its cookbook sale to United Way.

It is creative efforts like these that make people aware of the need for community involvement in so many organizations that deserve help. By the end of the campaign -- just two short months away -- it is likely United Way will reach its goal. But this will happen only is everyone makes an effort.