FOR THE 13TH YEAR RIVER CITY FLORIST PLANS AWAY 10,000 ROSES FOR GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY.TO GIVE

This past September 5th 2007, over 1200 residents of Jefferson City had the unique opportunity to meet one another & develop new Friendships as River City Florist hosted the annual FTD Good Neighbor Day event in their shop. Residents received a dozen roses
absolutely free when they stopped by River City Florist at 212 Madison Street in downtown Jefferson City. River City Florist distributed 15,000 roses in bunches of a dozen, absolutely free to anyone who visited their shop, as a sign of friendship & goodwill. Established in 1994, FTD Good Neighbor Day has become an event dedicated to helping create a friendlier, more caring & compassionate world with roses.

Visitors in River City Florist had to promise that in return for the free roses, they would keep only one for themselves and would give away the others to 11 different people. The success of Good Neighbor Day was overwhelmingly positive as the people of Jefferson City came out to participate and show their community spirit & support, states owner, Mike Moscato.

This year Good neighbor Day is Wednesday September 3rd, beginning at 10:00 a.m., River City Florist at 212 Madison Street will give away 10,000 roses in bunches of a dozen, absolutely free to anyone who visits the shop. “Our desire is to create a friendlier, more caring world, starting right here in Jefferson City.” In years past, we have had numerous requests for a second dozen roses. To accommodate those requests, we will be asking for a donation of $10.00 or more, with 100% of those proceeds going to the local United Way Campaign!

Local volunteers, many of them who have participated for several years, have graciously given up their time to help pass out the roses. Some of the volunteers this year include First Lady Melanie Blunt, Jefferson City Mayor John Landwehr, Rev. Gene Rooney, Representatives from the Jefferson City Police Department, Linda McAnany from the local United Way, KRCG-TV’s Monica Madeja & many more! As in years past, refreshments will be served throughout most of the day. Central Bank will be popping popcorn.

Good Neighbor Day, in its thirteenth year, has become a tradition in the Jefferson City area as a day of goodwill to all people. Joining the effort at River City Florist are local sponsors, Central Bank, KRCG-TV, Mid America Wireless. Jefferson City New Tribune, Central Travel, Mike Kehoe Ford, Fechtel Beverages & Coca Cola. All have pitched in to help make Good Neighbor Day 2008 a truly “neighborly” celebration.

United Way Plans Annual Campaign Kickoff

Tickets are on sale for the United Way of Central Missouri’s 2008-2009 Community Campaign Kickoff. The event is scheduled for 11:30 AM on Thursday, September 4th at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Tickets are $7.00 and must be purchased in advance.
This year’s Pacesetter companies will be recognized during the luncheon. Pacesetter companies are those businesses that hold their employee campaign during the month of August. Their campaign results are announced during the Community Campaign Kickoff and are used to serve as motivation for the rest of the community. Twenty-eight companies and the United Way agencies served as Pacesetters this year.
The 2008-2009 Community Campaign runs throughout the months of September and October. This year’s goal is $1,600,000. Money raised will be used to fund the work of 25 United Way partner agencies and programs. The United Way covers Cole, Moniteau, Miller, Osage and southern Callaway Counties.
For more information about the Community Campaign or to purchase tickets to the kickoff luncheon, please contact the United Way office at 573-636-4100. Tickets will be available until August 28th. For more information about the United Way of Central Missouri, please visit www.unitedwaycemo.org.

Local United Way Achieves Certification

Linda McAnany, President/CPO announced that the United Way of Central Missouri has successfully completed all of the United Way of America membership requirements. The certification mandates completion of 13 requirements for United Way of America membership along with verification of the status of 40 indicators that demonstrate a United Way embodies the intent of the membership requirements.

“The membership standards must be certified annually in order for us to remain a member of the United Way system,” stated McAnany. “It is important for us to maintain a high standard of accountability and this is part of the process to document that our operations are transparent and meet or exceed United Way membership criteria requirements.”

The Board of the United Way of Central Missouri reviewed and approved the Membership Requirements Certification at their regular board meeting in June.

“It is critically important that all United Ways meet the highest standards and verify on paper that they conformed to the stringent requirements of membership in the United Way system,” stated Brian Gallagher, President and CEO, United Way of America. “We applaud and congratulate the United Way of Central Missouri for demonstrating their commitment by completing the recertification process.”