In "The Wizard of Oz," the Yellow Brick Road provides a good start for Dorothy to reach the Emerald City and, eventually, home.
"There is No Place Like Home" is the theme for this year's United Way of Central Missouri campaign.
And the United Way pacesetters, once again, have provided that good start the campaign will need to attain its goal and help its partner agencies provide needed health and human services right here at home.
The United Way has set an ambitious goal to raise $1.75 million, $50,000 more than last year's goal.
During a campaign kickoff last week, the 29 Pacesetter businesses reported they had raised a combined $848,146, which translates into more than 48 percent of the overall goal. The Pacesetters are businesses that volunteer to conduct their employee campaigns prior to the official kickoff.
The United Way helps finance 27 partner agencies and programs serving people in Cole, Miller, Moniteau, Osage and southern Callaway counties.
Those agencies provide: shelter for victims of domestic violence; literacy education for adults; character-building activities for young people; mentoring programs; disaster relief; and much more.
More than 280 United Way volunteers took the opportunity to offer hands-on assistance to the agencies during the Days of Caring, traditionally held in connection with the campaign kickoff.
Describing those volunteers, Christopher White, a Salvation Army lieutenant, said: "They are doing all the stuff that we would love to do ourselves, but we just don't have the manpower. And they have great attitudes."
The Days of Caring, like the campaign, are about making a contribution.
Central Missouri is our community, our home. Assisting the United Way campaign is an opportunity to strengthen the very foundation of the home we share.