http://66.225.205.104/JR20100608a.mp3
Some good news today for the 96 agencies that rely on funding from the United Way of Central Carolinas: nearly all will receive more money this year, after a budget cycle of severe cuts. Reeling from a CEO scandal and major drop in donor support, the United Way of Central Carolinas came back last year and managed to raise just shy of $15 million for its member agencies. That is $2.8 million more than the previous year - and enough to make a big difference, says United Way Executive Director Jane McIntyre. "We have some agencies that are as high - or maybe slightly higher - than they have ever been in the last 3 years," says McIntyre. "Some of those agencies are completely restored." The Salvation Army is among them. Last year the nonprofit's Boys and Girls Club had its United Way funding cut in half. Only a desperate plea to the community kept the clubs open. In making his appeal this year, Major Todd Hawks of the Salvation Army says the Boys and Girls Club focused on showing the United Way exactly how its services help reduce truancy and improve graduation rates. Health and human services programs that could demonstrate the greatest impact on the community were given priority in the United Way's funding decisions for 2010. McIntyre says agencies went through a six-month vetting process by a team of 267 volunteers. "You do earn your money," says McIntyre. "It's not just a gift from United Way donors." Nonprofits received an average funding increase from the United Way of 17 percent this year, compared to an average cut of 35 percent last year.