Town Employees Meet Goal, Raise $41K For United Way

OCEAN CITY - United Way
recognized the Town of Ocean City and its employees this week for its continued
efforts and contributions to the annual United Way community campaign on the Eastern Shore.

Each year, the United Way of the
Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland
holds a community campaign in an effort to raise funds for a variety of
community projects. Local businesses and organizations partner with the local United Way to
contribute to and support the nonprofit agencies that aide the community. All
of the money raised is recycled through the community and remains local.

Businesses ranging from
10 employees to over 1,000 employees contribute to the cause, raising money as
a team for United Way.
This year, 241 employees of the Town of Ocean City came together to reach their
goal of raising $40,000.

Kathleen Momme,
Executive Director for the local United
Way, Bruce Bright, Chairman of the Worcester
County Campaign, and Town Coordinators Fred Wise and Pam Harbaugh, came before
the Mayor and Council this week to honor the town and their employees for their
2007 fundraising efforts.

Town of Ocean City
employees contributed $41,167 this year, outreaching their $40,000 goal and
increasing over $35,143 raised in 2006. Bright noted an 18-percent increase in
funds raised by the Town of Ocean City as well as a four percent increase in
the number of contributors.

'Those are important
numbers and hopefully a trend that can continue into next year's program with
the Town of Ocean City,' Bright said.

Momme added, 'This is
just so heartwarming, the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher each year.
The employees in your town are role models for town's across the whole Eastern Shore.'

Although the final
numbers have not been secured, Momme predicts that Ocean
City will rank high on the list of 190
participating organizations and businesses that participated this year, and
Momme anticipates the Town of Ocean City ranking sixth in total contributions
on the Lower Shore.

'That says a lot about
the people you have working here,' she said.

A plaque was presented
to the town, recognizing all of the employees that contributed to the effort.

'We're very proud of our
employees and the Town of Ocean City, it's an honor,' said Mayor Rick Meehan as
he accepted the plaque on behalf of the town.