NORWICH – The 2006 Chenango United Way Campaign is coming to a close. With only two weeks left until the end of the campaign, the CUW has raised $417,260. To equal last year’s campaign total, $76,500 need to be donated by 12 p.m. next Friday, Dec. 29.

“Right now, Chenango County’s poverty rate is estimated at about 17 percent, with a child poverty rate of about 24 percent,” CUW Executive Director Elizabeth Monaco said. Last year, the CUW was able to allocate $93,746 to poverty issues. Monaco explained the seriousness of the poverty percentage, adding “if you factor in families who are the ‘working poor,’ those earning wages but not earning enough to pay all of their bills and usually not having benefits like health insurance, that number goes even higher.” In 2005, an additional $41,500 was allocated to programs providing access to health care.

This year’s campaign has progressed slower than in years past. This may have been due in part to the recent flooding, but Monaco is still positive about the possibility for success. “Even in the years of Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina, the Chenango community has come together to ensure a successful campaign,” she said. In the past weeks, the campaign has picked up speed, raising over $160,000 since Dec. 1. “There are two weeks left, and we can still raise the $76,500 that would surpass last year’s campaign total,” Monaco said.