CHENANGO COUNTY – The Chenango United Way received an early Christmas gift this year. As of Thursday afternoon, the CUW had officially reached and surpassed their goal of $465,000.

Executive Director Elizabeth Monaco said so far, $465,569 has been raised in Chenango County. In addition, the United Way received $35,737 in allocations from outside of Chenango County, for a grand total of $501,306 – and there are still several more days to contribute to the campaign.

“I expect several thousands more by the end of the year,” Monaco said. “A lot of people do end-of-year giving, and we accept money until noon on Dec. 31.”

This is the first year since 2005 that the CUW has gone over the $500,000 mark. “The wonderful people of Chenango County can really be proud of themselves this day,” said Campaign Co-Chair Amber Harrison of Norwich Pharmaceuticals. “Considering the tough economic times we are in right now, this shows a wonderful generosity of spirit and a sense of community. I feel lucky to live here and to have been involved in the CUW campaign.”

With the current economic conditions, the CUW board was worried about this year’s campaign, but in Chenango County, the United Way has seen an increase in new donors and in the amount that people are giving. “We had more than 500 individuals and businesses increase their giving this year,” Monaco said, explaining that accounts for more than 25 percent of donors. The average increase for donors was over $84. The CUW also saw 323 new givers during this year’s campaign. In addition, Monaco said, “Most divisions exceeded what they raised last year by a substantial amount.”