Tansill

On June 24, 2003, MARY ELIZABETH (nee Henning); wife of the late Lawrence J. Crone, Sr.; mother of Mary E. Tansill, Dr. Lawrence J. Crone, Jr., Anthony T., Thomas J., and Paul M. Crone; mother-in-law of Charles Ray Tansill, Lynne Radimacher and Janice Steiner. Also survived by seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and many nieces and nephews. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 P.M., Saturday, June 28, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 2815 Jessup Road, Jessup. Burial will follow in Church Cemetery.

United Way of Central Maryland is behind in campaign contributions, but officials pin the problem on slow returns rather than a sluggish economy."I don't see any indication the economy is having an adverse effect," said Mel Tansill, a United Way spokesman. "But companies are not reporting as fast as they did last year."Mr. Tansill said the 1991 campaign, which ends Nov. 15, had collected $15.2 million as of Friday. That amount is less than half of the organization's $34.7 million goal. Last year, United Way was more than 50 percent toward its target by this time.

Carroll County is bucking the recessionary trend by giving more money to the United Way.More than $555,000 has been contributed from the county's companies to the 1990 campaign, said Mel Tansill, spokesman for the United Way's central service region."

The board of United Way of Central Maryland today decided to change the way it pays dues to its national trade group, United Way of America, which has been hit by allegations of financial abuses.The board, meeting in Baltimore, decided to pay the dues monthly, rather than quarterly, said Norman O. Taylor, president of the local group. It also will monitor the management of the national organization more closely, a process that will include periodic reviews of financial reports, he said."They need to be held accountable," Mr. Taylor said.

The United Way of Central Maryland will extend its annual fund-raising campaign, originally scheduled to end yesterday, because only 59 percent of the $34.7 million goal has been reached.About 1,000 people involved in the campaign attended a celebration at Martin's West last night where United Way officials announced that $20.5 million had been donated.But with almost two-thirds of companies still conducting employee campaigns, the gathering was not the finale it was intended to be.Instead, United Way officials announced that the campaign would be extended until the end of January.

In an uncertain economy, people like Sharon Miller of Westminster need the United Way of Central Maryland, which helps Miller afford day care for her daughter.And in spite of the uncertain economy, this year's United Way fund drive shows a 12 percent increase in employee donations at companies that have finished their campaigns, said United Way spokesman Mel Tansill.But the money is coming in slowly, so United Way is extending its deadline to late January for the first time, instead of closing the fund drive in mid-November as usual, said Tansill, of United Way's Baltimore headquarters.

Time will tell if Kimmie Meissner is the next Michelle Kwan. But she's already the next Jared Fogle. Remember the Indiana University student who dropped 245 pounds on the two-Subway-sandwiches-a-day diet? If Subway can help you get skinny, maybe it can help you skate. After all, Meissner stops by a Bel Air Subway every day, on her way to practice in Delaware. Her standing order: turkey sub with mustard and carrots, plus cookies. Now Meissner has landed something besides a triple axel: a TV ad for Subway.

Thanks to you, goes the ad slogan, the United Way works for all of us.And thanks to the recession and cutbacks in government domestic programs, many of us will have to dig a little deeper if the United Way is to continue its work.Acknowledging the economic slump and its impact on workers who make charitable contributions, the United Way of Central Maryland has set a 1991 fund-raising goal lower than those of previous campaigns.The organization will work to offset the recession's impact by trying to increase the number of people who make donations.

The United Way of Central Maryland is lagging 25 percent behind its fund-raising goal when compared with last year's drive at this point, despite a lengthened campaign and a relatively modest goal.If giving continues at the current pace, the campaign will fall $1.6 million short of its $33.2 million goal, the non-profit agency announced yesterday.To date, the agency has raised just $17,820,328 of its $33.2 million goal. Chairman James T. Brady warned that agencies supported by the campaign will face drastic cuts if the campaign falls short for a second year in a row."

Myrtle Theresa Ward, 79, longtime foster parentMyrtle Theresa Ward, who won awards for her work as a foster parent, died Saturday at Good Samaritan Hospital of heart failure. She was 79 and lived in Fallston.Mrs. Ward cared for nearly 30 foster children in addition to raising 11 children of her own. She received a gubernatorial citation and an award from WJZ-TV for her work.The former Myrtle Theresa Walker was a native of Otter Creek, Fla., who came to Baltimore as a child with her family.