Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
Worldwide response to the disaster in Haiti is the latest big example, but examples are all around us, really: People who unite for one great purpose can accomplish great things.
And it's hard to recall a principle like that without mentioning the wonderful work of the United Way of the CSRA.
The local charity is in its final weeks of this year's fund-raiser. The goal is $4.4 million, and they already have a little more than $3 million.
The rest is up to you. It's up to all of us.
Charity donations can be a dodgy endeavor these days. Scammers abound. But with the United Way, you know that your money isn't going down some rabbit hole, or into a shyster's pocket.
And this isn't one of those organizations that solicits money only to have it eaten up in administrative costs, leaving only crumbs for actual charity. The local United Way watches costs like a hawk, and its legions of volunteers keep costs down further. So out of all the money it takes in, less than 13 percent goes to administrative expenses. The rest goes to people who need it.
The United Way of the CSRA helps fund more than 40 Augusta-area programs -- all of which are reviewed annually by volunteers to make sure that the money these programs get is being spent wisely and effectively.
We could run down a laundry list of the agencies that partner with the United Way to make our area better. The Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the Family Y, the Salvation Army, the Boys & Girls Club -- those are just a few.
But what can your money really do? The United Way offers these touching human examples:
- A mother and her children can have a safe place to sleep after fleeing abuse.
- A senior citizen can receive a visit from a Senior Companion who provides much-needed support.
- A disabled girl can overcome her fear of water and learn to swim.
- A 7-year-old can receive speech therapy, enabling him to communicate more effectively.
- A former drug addict can receive job-skills training to secure long-term employment.
Sound like something you can get behind? Of course it does.
Call (706) 724-5544 to find out more about how you can give -- whether it's giving directly, or arranging for your employer to take just a little bit out of each paycheck, or even in-kind donations such as old furniture or computers that could be used by one of the dozens of United Way's member agencies.
United Way plans to announce the results of its campaign Feb. 23. You can be a part of it by giving what you can.
Even if it's not much, you can help accomplish great things for the CSRA.
