$5,252,525: United Way of Greater Lafayette hits goal, no matter which way you read it

The goal for the annual pledge drive to help stock 21 nonprofit partner agencies – each picking up a piece of the United Way’s cradle-to-career philosophy – had been $5.25 million. That was an extra $150,000 over what had been raised the year before, a signal to the community about Greater Lafayette’s sturdy economy and a challenge to dig just a bit deeper.

The campaign came down to the final day, Hagen said, with last-minute donations and corporate contributions pushing past the goal with $2,196 to spare.

Hagen, an orthopedic surgeon, said he was at the table at home going over the relief of hitting the mark – a point of pride for nearly every United Way campaign chairman over the past three decades. Hagen said his wife, Deborah, asked for the final number. At that moment: $5,252,196.