OCTOBER 25, 1998

Step up, take part, and make it work...

Thanks to you, it's working.

Or not.

If you subscribe to the million and one excuses for not participating in the United Way &emdash; most of which are keyed on a localized incident, hearsay or a personality conflict &emdash; you don't give. And it's not working.

Meanwhile, thousands of your friends and neighbors are participating. They know the small amounts that come out before their paychecks are written are financing a bargain. They know that services vital to people in their community are being paid for with their pledges.

Thanks to them, it is working. And thanks to them, your community is a better place.

The local United Way campaign is in its critical stage right now. Pledges and gifts received in the next week or so will make the difference between the expected amount of services being provided next year by local agencies and a reduced amount.

Think it over as you are asked to take part.

You won't notice the effects of a pledge of a dollar or a few dollars a week. And in the process, you'll make it work.