United Way 2004 campaign chairman Mark Buys announces the campaign’s total. (Brian Loden The Vicksburg Post)

[12/3/04]For a third year, the United Way of West Central Mississippi has fallen short of its annual goal, but still raised more than $1.4 million and will remain one of the top campaigns in the nation.

The 23 agencies that make up the local United Way will share in $1,462,149, or about 91 percent of the $1.6 million target.

“We set a very ambitious goal,” said Mark Buys, a banker and volunteer campaign chairman, “and after we reviewed our accounts we felt like it was a realistic goal.”

Teams canvass the community for money in an effort to relieve human service agencies from the pressures of fund raising.

“I’m pleased with the hard work of the volunteers, members and staff,” Buys said. “They go above and beyond the call of duty each year.”

Last year, the United Way met 81 percent of its goal by bringing in pledges of $1,460,341 of a $1.8 million goal by announcement day. Later receipts pushed that total past this year’s pledges by $23,000 and the same may occur this year.

“We still have more to come in, and I feel like we can reach what we made last year,” Buys said.

Buys also said that Vicksburg and Warren County residents still rank either 1 or 2 in the country for how much is given per capita.

Although there are corporate gifts, individual gifts and other categories, most revenue comes from employees who pledge a portion of their wages through payroll deduction.

For the 2002 campaign, 95 percent of the goal was attained with $1.66 million of the $1.75 million goal raised.

The local record year was 1999 with $1,752,000 raised. The 1991 campaign was the first to hit a million dollars.

“I think the economy affected the campaign more last year than it did this year,” said Susan Ivins, director of community investment for the United Way staff.

“We had lots of challenges this year,” she said, noting that big givers such as Harrah’s Casino, closed. “We were still able to raise nearly what we raised last year.”

United Way President Barbara Tolliver stressed attaining a monetary figure is not only what the United Way is about.

“I’ve tried to get the staff to see that it’s not about the amount of money we raise, it’s about the lives we touch and the lives we change in this community.”

But, she said, they’ll continue to strive toward meeting another goal in the coming year.

“We’ll rest this month and next month, start planning for another year.”

The results of the 2004 campaign were announced at a reception Thursday and 11 divisions make up the total. The divisions and their totals are:

Large firms, $849,018;

Commercial, $100,548;

Local Government, $20,855;

Schools, $56,216;

Combined Federal Campaign, $308,257;

Small Business, $27,191;

Professional, $27,595;

Prospect, $8,768;

Agencies, $24,156;

Unsolicited contributors, $4,260;

and Leadership, for which a total was not available.

The member agencies that receive funding from the United Way are the American Red Cross, Arthritis Foundation, Boy Scouts, Child Abuse Prevention Center, Good Shepherd Community Center, Christian Volunteer Service, Community Council/RSVP, Epilepsy Foundation, Girl Scouts, Grace Christian Counseling Center, HIV Services, Haven House Family Shelter, MCHS Children’s Shelter/Group Home, Magnolia Speech School, Information Line, Salvation Army, USO, Vicksburg Early Education Center, Vicksburg Family Development, Warren County Association for Retarded Citizens/MIDD West, Warren Yazoo Mental Health Service, We Care Community Services and YMCA.

Campaigns are held each fall, and volunteers on an allocations committee disburse the money based on applications received from member agencies.