United Way Nets Early $1.1 Million

United Way of Spokane County has been reborn, charity executives said Wednesday after counting early pledges.

Donors have pledged more than $1.1 million to the umbrella agency during its annual fall workplace campaign - up from $800,000 at this time last year. The numbers were announced at a rally at Spokane Community College Wednesday afternoon.

“There is somehow a different mood today at the workplace that we did not have last year,” said United Way Executive Director Jose Pena. “I am very confident that if this pace continues we will exceed our goal (of $5.56 million).”

Pena credits some of the success to new strategies he implemented, but said most of it is just a change in donors’ attitudes.

Last year, with three weeks to go in the two-month campaign drive, Pena and several business leaders who help run the fund-raiser announced they were more than $1 million behind. Organizers scraped through the drive and eventually collected about $5 million to distribute to several dozen charities.

Last year’s success stories were the businesses where, despite downsizing, employees managed to pledge enough money to come close to the company goal.

This year, campaign officials are pointing to companies like Medical Service Corp., which increased its employee contributions by 37 percent, for a final goal of $49,400.

Horizon Airlines doubled its donations. Spokane School District 81 is up 8 percent.

, DataTimes