NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire United Way entered the 1990s with big goals — and met almost all of them. It ended the decade with the largest campaign in its history.

 

It wasn't easy; the area was still reeling from closures and layoffs, including from General Electric and Waverly Fabrics. The first campaign of the decade saw a historic $500,000 goal only meet 93 percent of its goal. 

 

"We lost tens of thousands of dollars from firms and employees that contributed last year," said Daniel Bird, board vice president told the 150 gathered for the 1990 campaign conclusion, as reported by the Transcript. "There were just fewer to give because of closings and layoffs. What we did see were tens of thousands in new and increased gifts which brought us to the high percentage of  goal, and we are grateful."

 

The agency lowered its sights to $480,000 the following year and beat that number, possibly by pulling out all the stops. The four co-chairs that year could heavily rely on prayer — the Rev. Lawrence Provenzano of St. John's, the Rev. Betty Lou Ure of First Congregational, and Lts. Cheriann and Kevin Stoops of the Salvation Army.

 

They even sang a rap song that year, with lyrics including "the United Way is in our town to help the people who are down / some are young, some are old, some are living, some are cold / but you are here to make this work, to raise the funds, you will not shirk!"

 

Mayor John Barrett III and state Rep. Daniel Bosley promised a "big splash" for the campaign with a set up photo of a "plunge" into a wading pool. (They had promised the YMCA pool but were in Boston to talk about a museum in the former Sprague complex.)

 

Provenzano thought the success was because "people knew how desperate the situation was."