The Freeborn County United Way is hosting a &uot;Breakfast of Champions&uot; to kick off their 2004 campaign at 7 a.m.Thursday at Union Center, 404 E. Main St. in Albert Lea. All Freeborn County residents are invited to attend. Food and music will be provided.

United Way serves 18 partner agencies who provide services to all Freeborn County residents in need. Funds raised are used to help people and programs in the county.

More than 20 community volunteers serve on the allocation team who evaluate budgets and programs, then recommend funding to agencies each year.

To be eligible for funding, member partners must have tax exempt status and be in compliance with all government laws regulating nonprofit agencies.

They must provide direct human services to Freeborn County residents addressing one or more areas of community concern: assisting people in crisis, increasing self sufficiency, strengthening families, supporting seniors, nurturing children and youth.

New partner agencies this year include the Girl Scouts of Riverland Trails and South Eastern Minnesota Community Action Agency. They now join other United Way nonprofit partners who receive funding: Arc Freeborn County, Boy Scouts, Catholic charities, Cedar Valley Services, Charities Review Council of Minn., Chemical Dependency Center, Children’s Center, Albert Lea Community Child Care Center, Circle of Parents, Family Support Network, Crime Victim’s Crisis Center, Domestic Abuse program, Lutheran Social Services, Parenting Resource Center, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Senior Resources of Freeborn County, and the Family Y.

Other county-wide projects the United Way has been involved with include: Literacy, Boost America Project, Diversity, National Guard, Housing Task Force, Week of Caring, Freeborn County Cares, and the Methamphetamine Task Force.

The mission of the Freeborn County United Way is to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another. The United Way vision statement: The United Way is organized and recognized as the catalyst to bring people together to meet human and social service needs in Freeborn County.

For more information

call the United Way office at 373-8670.