United Way campaign using Muppets theme to raise $1.7 million

It's not easy raising green

Lori Massman and Andy Fechtel announced this year's campaign goal of $1.7 million and offered several ideas how businesses could raise money toward that end. They spoke at Thursday's annual United Way Pacesetters breakfast at the NH Scheppers Community Room.
Lori Massman and Andy Fechtel announced this year's campaign goal of $1.7 million and offered several ideas how businesses could raise money toward that end. They spoke at Thursday's annual United Way Pacesetters breakfast at the NH Scheppers Community Room.

Over the next few months, Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog will be familiar faces in the Capital City. The Muppets are the theme of this year's United Way of Central Missouri's Community Campaign.

The pacesetter portion of the campaign began Thursday with a breakfast for local companies taking the lead role.

The Pacesetter Campaign, consisting of nearly 30 companies, is a way for the United Way to get a head start with fundraising for the Community Campaign that begins with a kickoff Aug. 29 at Capitol Plaza Hotel.

This year's Community Campaign goal is to raise $1.7 million to help fund the work of the United Way of Central Missouri's 25 partner agencies and programs.

Jefferson City natives Lori Massman and Andy Fechtel will serve as this year's campaign co-chairs, the Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog of the operation. Massman, who co-chaired last year's campaign, is community development manager at Scholastic, while Fechtel serves as a brand specialist at Fechtel Beverage.

Attendees of Thursday's breakfast said they are excited to get a head start with the 2013 campaign.

Rusty Drewing and John Jurgovan, with Joe Machens Capital City Ford Lincoln, said their company always participates in the annual campaign because it's committed to the community.

"We are pacesetters so we can help lead the community campaign," Jurgovan said. "We've done this so long that it's almost second nature."

Laura Laune with Wallstreet Group said her company originally joined the campaign as a pacesetter because it wanted to be out in front of the community.

She said Wallstreet Group is holding a Wallstreet Pacesetter 5K race Aug. 10 to raise money for the campaign. For more information or to register for the race, visit www.wallstreetins.com.