ORNL kicks off United Way campaign

(ORNL) The Department of Energy�s Oak Ridge National Laboratory kicked off its 2015 United Way campaign with an agency fair displaying services United Way organizations provide to East Tennesseans. Jeff Smith, ORNL�s deputy director for operations, said ORNL is one of the largest contributors to United Way in the area. �It has been a part of the laboratory for a long time,� Smith said. �Our staff have been key contributors to United Way it seems forever. Our goal is not to let that history dissipate and we�d like to build on it. The people here at the laboratory are giving people. Our job as leaders of the institution are to give them that chance to give.� Smith said he hopes the agency fair will introduce new employees and others to the benefits of United Way, enhancing support for the organization. �Our goal today is just to expose people to it so that they become more familiar,� Smith said. �Ultimately, unless you give, you are not going to want to give. We hope some of the agencies can tell some stories to help people connect in such a way that they want to become a United Way giver.�