By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
managing editor
KEYSER — The County United Way of Mineral County announced this week that Kay Vaughan of Keyser will serve as the chairman for the agency's 2010 fund raising campaign.
Gary Wilson, chairman of CUW Mineral County, made the announcement Wednesday morning during the agency's annual meeting at the Davis Center on the campus of Potomac State College.
“I know she'll do a great job, but she's going to need a lot of help,” Wilson said, noting that the success of any campaign is dependent upon the number of people working together to get the community involved.
The CUW of Mineral County, which is just one of four county branches working under the umbrella of the County United Way of the Potomac Highlands, headquartered in Cumberland, is coming off a successful 2009 campaign in which the goal of $100,000 was reached.
According to the financial report given Wednesday by Mary Beth Pirolozzi, executive director of the CUW of the Potomac Highlands, all four counties — Mineral, Hampshire, Allegany and Garrett — met their goals for 2009.
Mineral County's co-chairpersons for that campaign were Stephanie Eggar and Heather Ack.
Wilson said they are aware that the troubled economy may have an effect on the 2010 campaign.
“Next year, the experts are saying our hurting economy will hurt us even more than it did in 2009,” he said.
“But we're going to give it our best effort.”
Vaughan is choosing to remain optimistic.
“We'll be fine,” she said Wednesday. “I know this community cares about its people.”
County United Way uses the funds it raises to support a large number of agencies in the area, ranging from Girl Scouts to the Family Crisis Center, the Developmental Center and Workshop and the Piedmont Library, among others.
“The people of the community really take their commitment to a pledge very seriously,” Pirolozzi said, noting that Mineral County's “uncollectible” rate of 6 percent of pledges made is much lower than many.
The 2010 campaign for the four-county region will kick off at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, with an event in the Lane Center on the campus of Frostburg State University.
For more information on that, or how to become involved in the campaign, interested persons may call Vaughan at 30-788-5395.
IN other news, the members Wednesday approved the appointment of Ed Smith and re-appointment of Gary Geiger to serve on the executive board for CUW of Mineral County, and approved Steve Peer to serve as treasurer.
They also thanked Potomac State College Provost Kerry Odell for his six years of service.
