By Larry Sandler of the Journal Sentinel
United Way in Waukesha County has set a goal of raising a record $5 million annually by the end of its 2014 campaign, the charitable organization announced Thursday.
The group also wants to recruit 500 volunteers to serve as readers, tutors and mentors, labeling the dual targets "Strive for Five."
To date, the organization's fundraising high point was nearly $4.9 million in 2008, "so we are confident that we can set a higher standard for philanthropy in Waukesha County moving forward," Executive Director Jayne Thoma said in a news release.
United Way in Waukesha County hopes to raise $4.5 million by the end of its 2012 campaign, board President Paul Melnick said.
About Larry Sandler
Larry Sandler has been writing about government, politics, transportation, business and education in Wisconsin and Illinois for more than 25 years. He joined the Milwaukee Sentinel's staff as a general assignment reporter in 1982, after covering county government, politics and business for The Pantagraph of Bloomington-Normal, Ill. At the Sentinel, he reported on higher education, the Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee County government and the manufacturing and transportation industries. After the April 1995 merger of the Sentinel and the Milwaukee Journal, Sandler became the transportation reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and from May 2001 to May 2007, he also wrote the weekly Road Warrior column. His investigation into flaws in aviation security earned a first-place award in the Milwaukee Press Club’s 2004 Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism Contest. Sandler was named City Hall reporter in June 2007 and continues to cover public transit issues as well. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
