United Way: A change needed

The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta traditionally holds its annual fund-raising campaign kick-off “in a hotel room over lunch,” its president, Milton Little Jr., observed.

Thursday, at the 2008 campaign launch, he said, it was “pretty clear we tried to shake things up a little bit.”

Besides the more elegant setting of the Fox Theatre’s Egyptian Ballroom, the event featured interactive displays such as a “United Way 2-1-1” listening station where guests could put on headsets and hear calls to the help line. They also could get answers to questions such as how much money it takes to provide a month of services to help one formerly homeless individual live independently.

“It’s time for a change,” noted United Way board chairman Tim Bentsen, Southeast managing partner of KPMG. “We need some excitement.”

That excitement, reflected in the new Live United brand, was evident in the crowd, which was estimated at about 600, up from last year’s estimated turnout of 450.

The United Way last year raised $81.2 million, and this year’s goal is more demanding at $82 million, especially given the state of the economy.

“As difficult as the economic times are, we have a chance to make an impact on the lives of people who feel the effects most acutely,” Little said. These days, he said, “you don’t have to look far in the Atlanta community” to find people in need.