Lycoming County United Way (LCUW) officials describe the 2012 campaign progress as "ongoing and steady" during the annual drive's early weeks.
"We have seen steady growth these first few weeks and have received a second progress report of $183,826 pledged so far," said LCUW volunteer campaign Chairman Virgil Probasco.
"These first-in results have largely been generated from the mailings to our leadership and residential donors. The larger employee workplace campaigns are for the most part just getting started. Our volunteers have seen some encouraging signs and several workplace locations have reported their campaigns are running ahead of last year's pace."
According to LCUW, many of those workplace campaigns host staff meetings and invite speakers to tell the employees what United Way does in the community.
"We always appreciate the opportunity to speak in person to people because there are generally some in the group who did not know much about United Way," explained Probasco. "When they learn how many programs we fund - 38 this year - and how many people we help - about 1 in 3 people in the county - the message really hits home."
Workplaces that have not scheduled a speaker from United Way may do so by contacting the office at 323-9448.
"We love to bring in someone to speak whose life has changed because they participated in or utilized a program that is funded by United Way," he said.
In addition to the weekly Face Stories series in the Sunday editions of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, people may log on to lcuw.org and click on the "video" tab to learn more about the real people affected by United Way-funded programs.
"This community is a very generous one," Probasco said. "We understand the importance of taking care of one another. Seeing and hearing these stories reaffirm our compassion for one another."
This year's campaign runs through Nov. 30. For more information, call the office.
