BY JERRIE WHITELEY

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Amid thanks to their volunteers and donors, the Co- chairs of the Grayson County's United Way 2010 campaign announced Wednesday that the effort had paid off to the tune of $1,309,409.

Director David Cortinas said the total was just staggering considering that it happened during what everyone thought "would be a tough campaign given the economy."

Co chairs Jason Taylor, Sam Keeler and Tina Martin all praised area donors, volunteers and agencies for their work on the campaign.

Taylor, a KMKT disc jockey, said when he was first asked to serve as chairman of the campaign he didn't think he had the time to take on the task. He said he worried that with everything else his family does, such an undertaking would cut into the time he needed to be with his kids. Nothing, he said, could have turned out to be further from the truth. He urged others who are asked to participate to dismiss that worry right away.

It really only took, he said, "a few hours a month" with all of the help he got from the United Way staff. He urged others in the community to see what kind of difference they can make in the community with that same time commitment.

Keeler, who works for Tyson Foods, said he has been very impressed, over the campaign, with "how extremely tight" the local community is and how it comes together to offer help when someone needs it.

"I am extremely proud to be a part of this community," he said.

Martin, with American Bank, said she was still thinking over the offer to "step up into a leadership role" when her young son gave her the push she needed. She said they were driving in their car when they happened to pass a homeless family and he told her "You've got to do this."

She said his words led her to realize getting involved in this way was God's plan for her and she enjoyed every minute of it.

"It is fun ... not work ...lots of fun," she stressed before the three of them each reported a segment of the breakdown of that $1,309,409.

The Professionals group, she said, included lawyers, doctors and others with similar degrees and raised $136,260. The campaign raised $441,658 through a direct mail blitz and the Finance group, she said, raised $75,171.

Taylor said the group reported getting $90,154 for the national campaign and $117,757 from local retailers. Public servants, including police officers, firefighters and teachers, contributed $298,642 toward the total.

Local industry, he said, is a huge part of the campaign every year and this year those businesses contributed $672,765.

Jana Garner, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of Grayson County, said the news was welcomed enthusiastically by local agencies that use United Way money to meet the needs of local residents.

She said the money the organization gets from United Way will allow it to continue to serve the abused children of the area.

"Some CASA's are having to cut back on services," Garner said, noting that hers is not because of the support it gets from United Way and through other fundraising efforts.