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February 22, 2012

Lake Area United Way raises $617K

Charity falls $57,692 short of goal; $40K less than last year

By Mike Carrels Phoenix Staff Writer

There’s no time to rest for members of the Lake Area United Way.

The organization announced Tuesday at its annual meeting and awards luncheon that the 2011 fundraising campaign raised $617,308.

Members of the board soon will meet to plan its strategies on how to distribute the money. Busch said they will start dispersing that money July 1.

The luncheon, held at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, serves to recognize the United Way’s contributors.

Executive Director Debi Busch told the crowd the organization missed its goal by $57,692.

“We were very optimistic, so we set the goal higher,” Busch said.

The $617,308 was about $40,000 less than last year’s campaign total of $657,565.

“We’ve tried to analyze it, and our area does little economic ripples,” Busch said. “It’s not so much the loss of jobs, it just takes more to live right now.”

The United Way, which helps 17 charities and agencies in the Muskogee/Tahlequah area, assisted more than 30,000 people last year in Muskogee, Cherokee, Wagoner and Sequoyah counties.

The news wasn’t all glum, however. Busch said when factoring in the total money that stays local, that number is $19,227 less than last year.

“It’s not as painful as it appears,” Busch said. “We say all the time, this is your community. You live here, so give here.”

Reach Mike Carrels at (918) 684-2922 or mcarrels@muskogeephoenix.com.

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