Helping a disabled person be rehabilitated or sending an underprivileged child to 4-H camp are just two of the many services paid for by United Way contributions.
This year's United Way fund-raising campaign kicks off with the 10th annual Day in the Park on Sept. 10 at Clarksburg City Park.
Some of the day's highlights will include fire truck rides for the kids, Cartoon Network characters, cloggers, storytellers, clowns, live entertainment and karaoke.
Twenty-two local agencies use contributions from the United Way to assist those in need in Harrison County, said Ken Moslander, executive director for the United Way of Harrison County.
Some of those agencies are the Red Cross, Hospice, Literacy Volunteers, and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
All 22 groups will display exhibits at the Day in the Park, Moslander said.
When donating money to the United Way, contributors should know that 100 percent of the money stays in the community and is used to help people here, Moslander said.
"Of every dollar given, 92 cents goes to the United Way agencies that provide services," he said. "Eight cents of the dollar goes to this office for the running of the agency."
This year's goal is $735,000, an increase from last year's met goal of $722,000, he said.
"We hope to exceed the goal so we can help more people," he said. "Not a dime leaves the area. We are a local agency and answer to the people."
Two local agencies that receive funding from the United Way are Senior Care of North Central West Virginia and the Court Appointed Special Advocate System, Moslander said. It is stipulated the agencies use the money contributed to pay for people who can't afford the needed care, he said.
Senior Care is a medical-based day care for seniors at a facility in Nutter Fort that provides services for the elderly.
The special advocate system is a program to prevent children in foster care, who are often the victims of abuse, from getting lost in the system, he said.
The United Way collects money from company employees, labor unions, civic organization and of course individuals to reach its goal, Moslander said.
There is no phone or door-to-door solicitation, he said.
For more information on United Way Day in the Park or where to send contributions, contact the agency at 624-6337.
Staff writer Jennifer Biller can be reached at 626-1443.
