UNITED WAY TOPS ITS GOALS

The Area Wide United Way held a well-deserved celebration last week. The campaign -- with a $525,000 goal -- ended on an upbeat note. Pledges and contributions topped $534,000, the largest amount every collected by the local United Way.

Previously, the highest amount raised was about $508,000. In fact, a goal of $520,000 fell short in 1994.

Teamwork and a never-say-die attitude by volunteers paid off this year. The United Way also paid tribute to the Dana Corp. for increasing its employee contributions by 350 percent during the 1996 campaign. These pledges put the campaign over the top.

In communities where much larger United Way goals are achieved, large corporations are key contributors.

The extra money will allow the United Way to offer one-time grants to its agencies for special projects. This should provide for some innovative community programming.

Hats off to the many dedicated United Way volunteers for a job well done.