While the amount raised for the 2009 Heart of Illinois United Way did not surpass the 2008 record total, the latest campaign surpassed expectations even with a bad economy and high unemployment in central Illinois. The 2009 campaign raised over $8.6 million, as was announced at the campaign celebration event Thursday evening. United Way President Michael Stephan says while the 2009 total fell short of the $9.7 million raised in 2008, the new total surpassed the internal goal of $7.6 million dollars. There was no publicly announced goal for the 2009 campaign due to the economic downturn. Stephan says the business community stepped up in 2009. 65 new employee campaigns were added and 79 organizations increased contributions by more than 10 percent. Stephan says giving is even more important in a dow economy because the agencies served are in more need, too The Heart of Illinois united Way serves 47 partner agencies and helps more than 1,100 people daily in a sic county area.
