How will you spend your dash?

The question was posed Tuesday by motivational speaker Greg Blake at the United Way of the CSRA's annual meeting.

And United Way would like to help you answer it.

See, tombstones have two dates on them, showing when you were born and when you died. Separating those two dates is a single dash that becomes perpetual shorthand for your entire life.

Some people "spend their dash" in frivolous, misguided pursuits. Perhaps worse, others stand by and do nothing to better their corner of the world.

Then there are the people who give to United Way. Giving to that charity means you're supporting the parts of our community that make the CSRA a better place.

Money to United Way means you're giving kids positive alternatives to delinquency. It means helping abuse victims get the protection and counseling they need. It means feeding the hungry.

It means making a difference.

Augusta's United Way met and exceeded its $4.4 million fund-raising goal for 2006, and on Tuesday it publicly thanked the many CSRA organizations who helped achieve that task.

But what's worth just as much as mere money - perhaps more so - is the human element: volunteers who can help make the United Way's local mission continue to succeed.

Are you handy with a hammer? Do you know your way around a computer? Have a flair for landscaping? Are you retired, and you have professional skills you can use to assist others?

Just dial 2-1-1 on your phone, or visit www.uwcsra.org/contact/ on the Web to let the United Way know you can help make the CSRA better - one person at a time, or even one hour at a time.

So - how will you spend your dash?