Posted: Saturday, August 21, 2010 12:01 am

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties has announced that several local companies and organizations are leading the United Way campaign this year by electing to begin their workplace fundraising early as Pacesetter Campaigns. The official United Way campaign kick-off will be held in conjunction with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours on September 14th, where the campaign goal will be announced. Campaign organizers also hope to announce that at least 5% of the goal has already been secured prior to the event through the Pacesetter Campaigns.

Those Pacesetter Campaigns include the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties Staff, United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties Partner Agencies, FirstBank, Ingram Content Group, Site Engineering Consultants, Inc. , Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, ClaimTrust, Wal-mart, Murfreesboro Electric, Heritage Farms Dairy, and Community Care of Rutherford County.

“Our Pacesetter Campaigns truly set the momentum for the entire United Way campaign by leading our fundraising efforts and inspiring excitement in the community about contributing to United Way,” said Carolyn Tumbleson, Director of Resource Development at the local United Way. “We are so appreciative that these companies and organizations, such as our own partner agencies, are so enthused about the mission of United Way that they have volunteered to conduct their campaigns early.”

For one Pacesetter, 2010 marks the first year that the company has participated in a United Way campaign in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. ClaimTrust, a healthcare revenue cycle company, relocated to Rutherford County in early 2009 shortly before the Good Friday tornadoes occurred.

“After witnessing firsthand the recent disasters that have struck Middle Tennessee, the ClaimTrust team wanted to get more involved in the community, and the United Way provides the ideal vehicle for ClaimTrust,” said Joe Ferro, the company’s President and CEO. “We look at participating in the Pacesetter program as the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the communities here in Rutherford County and to the United Way.”

In 2009, the United Way received requests from partnering agencies and programs that totaled $2.7 million. About $1.5 million of the requests were actually met due to the amount of funding available following the 2008-2009 campaign. Although that year’s campaign secured $2.7 million in pledges, after pledge loss (a result of companies closing, employees leaving their company, wages being reduced, etc.), non-partner agency and out-of-county designations, and overhead expenses were accounted for, the remaining funding available for the partner agencies and programs was $1.2 million less than their requests. Those same partner agencies and programs served more than 93,000 (one in three) individuals in Rutherford and Cannon Counties last year.

“The United Way is such an effective conduit for our community’s resources,” said Brian Hercules, President and CEO of the local United Way. “Our process of incorporating more than 75 volunteers into allocating the funding to our 44 partner agencies truly allows for the most critical needs to be met first as well as provides a high standard of agency service through our oversight and accountability measures.”

The campaign kick-off event on September 14th will be held at City Tile, 223 S. Spring Street in Murfreesboro, from 5 PM – 7 PM. The cost to attend is $5 for Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce members and $10 for non-members.

For more information about the United Way campaign, including conducting a workplace campaign or making an individual donation, please visit www.uwrutherford.org or contact United Way at (615) 893-7303.