William Sokol

2 Men Badly Injured When Car Flips On I-81

By MARK GUYDISH; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, November 20, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





No Cash? No problem, they'll accept the cash register instead. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 How about dishing out a dishwasher? Or serving up some steam trays? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Scratch the surface of the local United Way campaign- $74,000 short of the
goal and still accepting help, thank you- and you find a lot more than tiny
dents in the paychecks of generous area workers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Though 60 percent of the agency's money comes from roughly 1,000
company-run employee fund drives, the United Way of Wyoming Valley is open to-
and encourages- more unconventional means in meeting this year's $4.4 million
target. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Monetary contributions are important," said Grace Morreale, marketing
assistant at the United Way, "but we also receive what we call dedicated
gifts," specific items sought by one of the 20 agencies associated with the
United Way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We have agencies that come with a menu of things. So if there is an
organization willing to purchase or donate that specific item, they can." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some donations this year included computers from Golden Business Machines,
Commonwealth Telephone, and Gene Pelesh of Parente Randolph Orlando Carey &amp;
Associates, Morreale said. Pelesh is the United Way board chairman. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cash registers were donated by Hillside Farms and Nabisco Brands, Inc. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other items sought, and the agencies in need: Double strollers and infant
Tot Loc seats for the Child Development Council; computer hardware and
software for the Family Services Association; stackable padded vinyl chairs
with arms for the Jewish Community Center; a computer with Microsoft Office
software and Internet capability for the Salvation Army/Kirby Family House; a
dishwasher, cash register, hot food table, steam trays and utensils for United
Rehabilitation Services; and clothing, accessories, furniture, fixtures,
computers, telephones and office supplies for the Junior League of
Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The campaign also has a list of "venture grant requests," money sought for
specific projects by an agency. This list includes- among other things- $5,000
for an asthma camp by the American Lung Association, $3,000 for a diversity
program for middle school students by the Jewish Community Center and $5,000
for an emergency prescription program by the Commission on Economic Growth. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other fund-gathering innovations used this year included getting companies
to pledge $25 for every home run hit by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons,
a program that garnered over $44,000 for 164 home runs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In another program, McDonald's donated $25 for every hour volunteers helped
out at eight local restaurants, Morreale said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the successes, the United Way fell a little short of this year's
goal, so the drive has been extended. Morreale said some e

`don't Needs' Can Prove Very Needful To United Way **see For The Record 11/21/98