The 2010 United Way campaign is in need of your help. This year’s goal of $324,000 is a modest increase from last year’s goal but these are also tough days to be asking for donations.

The campaign season is more than half over but less than one third of the goal has been raised.

If there was ever a year to support the United Way campaign in any manner, it is this year.

The economic downturn we are suffering through has not only hurt local business, it has hurt their ability to support the major non-profits in a way that reflect the natural kindness and warmth of our community.

These non-profit groups, like the Barksdale Boys and Girls club and Rockdale Coalition for Children and Families, provide for the needs of local families that have been hit hard. Some of these families are surviving as a family unit mainly because of the assistance of such groups that receive major support from United Way funds raised by you and your neighbors.

We know the holidays are coming up with opportunities to give in lots of ways. But these families will also need help beyond the holidays.

Organizations like the United Way help fund non-profit groups long after the tinsel and cranberry relish is put away. This type of long-term investment helps keep these non-profits going during the thin times, when the public stops paying attention.

We know these are hard times, but every little bit helps.

And it’s hard to find a better rate of return for your investment. According to Rockdale United Way Director Claire Cline, every dollar donated to Rockdale United Way brings back $3 in actual dollars to the community and $5 worth of services to the community.

If you would like to give or would like information on how your fellow employees can give or if you can volunteer your time, contact the Rockdale United Way office at (678) 623-2857 or rockdale@unitedwayatlanta.org

You can make a difference and it doesn’t take much of your time to do so.