The theme for the area United Way campaign may be "Rockin' the '80s," but it was the Pacesetters that rocked the 2016 kickoff with a fundraising announcement Thursday.
The Pacesetters are 30 area businesses, as well as the United Way of Central Missouri and its partners, that conduct fundraisers in advance of the kickoff to set the pace for the annual campaign.
They sprinted from the starting blocks and collected nearly half of the campaign goal. The total of $882,553 collected represents 48.3 percent of the $1,825,000 campaign goal.
The area United Way helps finance 28 partner agencies that, according to the organization, "touch more than 88,000 lives in our community, helping people live their best possible lives."
The partners serve people in seven Central Missouri counties, including Camden, Cole, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage and southern Callaway.
Thursday's kickoff - like the individual Pacesetter campaigns - put fun in fundraising as a way to enhance the serious effort to provide health and human services to people in need.
Surrounded by large, wooden cutouts of guitars, campaign Co-Chairs Matt Tollerton and Jayne Dunkmann performed a skit from the 1985 film, "Back to the Future," then announced individual Pacesetter results using songs from the '80s - including Aerosmith's "Walk this Way," Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and Queen's "Under Pressure."
The campaign will continues with events that focus both on the services of partner agencies and the entertainment aspect of fundraising.
During the annual United Way Days of Caring next week, more than 350 community volunteers will provide hands-on assistance at various partner agencies. Volunteer tasks include assisting in classrooms, landscaping, cleaning, organizing, baking cookies, painting and more.
And on Sept. 13, finalists in the Mid-Missouri's Got Talent competition will compete for votes, which translate into dollars for the United Way campaign. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the live event that begins at 7 p.m. at the Millbottom Event Center, 400 W. Main St.
Thursday's kickoff concluded with young people served by various partner agencies gathering to sing the 1985 anthem, "We Are the World."
We in Central Missouri are a small fraction of the world, but as United Way President Ann Bax reminded the audience: "In great communities like ours, we take care of each other."
This year's campaign is a wonderful opportunity to embrace the concept of caring.