FARMINGTON – The United Way of the Tri-Valley Area will kick off its 24th annual Community Campaign with a breakfast buffet from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, in the North Dining Hall at the University of Maine at Farmington.

All residents of the Tri-Valley Area, which includes Franklin County plus the towns of Livermore and Livermore Falls are invited to attend. For more information or to reserve seating, please call 778-5048.

Each year thousands of dollars are raised through local workplace campaigns, community donations, and special events such as the UW Golf Tournament at Sugarloaf. New events this year will include an auction on Oct. 3 at the Granary, a basket bingo in the spring of 2004 in Jay, and a Mystery Dinner in April 2004 at UMF.

United Way of the Tri-Valley Area is independent of all other United Way organizations and is governed by a group of local volunteers who make up its Board of Directors. Last year it invested more than $300,000 into the local community, by distributing to 25 local non-profit partner agencies that supported in excess of 15,000 local people in need of a helping hand.

The 2003-04 Community Campaign will be led by volunteer co-chairs Leah Binder and Sam Elowitch who are residents of Wilton where Elowitch works as an independent consultant for Web design. He is the project coordinator of the Rural Broadband Initiative, a nonprofit community group whose goal is to boost access to broadband Internet at reasonable costs.

Binder is the executive director of the Healthy Community Coalition, a nonprofit affiliate of the Franklin Community Health Network that is a strong advocate for the health and well being of Franklin County. Prior to becoming executive director, she served as senior policy advisor in the office of New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani.

The campaign theme for this year is, “You Know What Matters: Our Community Matters and Your Support Matters.” The dollars raised here stay here to provide support to friends and neighbors who are in need of a helping hand.

The fund-raising goal for the 2003-04 campaign is $425,000, up from last year’s goal of $400,000. This year’s goal was raised because, with the declining manufacturing industry in Western Maine, and the resulting loss of jobs, more people are in need.

People outside the workplaces can contact the United Way at 778-5048 or send a gift to the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area, P.O. Box 126, Farmington, ME 04938. Gifts can be made online at www.uwtva.org.

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