United Way to kick off fundraising with radiothon Friday

The Callaway County United Way will host its 15th annual Radiothon and Campaign Kickoff Friday.

The United Way will take over the Fulton Walmart parking lot from 6 a.m. until dark for its annual live brodcast on KFAL 900 AM featuring interviews with pace setter businesses, donors, agency clients and representatives and area students announcing their penny drive results.

There also will be barbecue available for purchase, seniors from the Callaway County Senior Center rocking to raise money for the United Way at Moser's, a Red Cross blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the annual Callaway Cruise car and motorcycle show from 5 p.m. to dark.

There will also be an auction featuring more than 100 items - the full list is available online at www.callawaycountyunitedway.com - donated by area residents and businesses. Bidding starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. Bids can be made online, by phone or in person. All items will be on display at the event.

Callaway County United Way Executive Director Kathy Richey Liddle said last year's radiothon raised more than $100,000 and she would like to hit that mark again Friday. The goal for the Fall 2014 Campaign is $280,000.

"I just hope everyone comes out and sees us, listens to the radio, buys a pork steak, checks out the cars, bids on our auction items, participates and joins in the fun, because it really is a fun event," Richey Liddle said.

All proceeds will go do fund 13 local service agencies during 2015:

•Boy Scouts of America, Great Rivers Council

•Callaway County 4-H

•Callaway County Senior Center

•CMCA-Head Start

•Coalition Against Rampe and Domestic Violence

•Family Counseling Center of Missouri

•Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland

•Heart of Missouri CASA

•Homemaker Health Care, Inc.

•Kingdom Projects

•Mid-Missouri Legal Services

•Our House: Caring for Callaway's Homeless

•SERVE, Inc.