PENN TWP - Breakfast, teachers and the United Way of Butler County took up much of the morning for community and business leaders who attended the United Way's annual breakfast Thursday morning at the Butler Country Club.

Leslie Osche, United Way's executive director, and Stan Kosciuszko, president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, hosted the annual event that included the graduation of Leadership Butler County and the renewal of the Red Apple Awards.

Ann Baglier, United Way the campaign chairwoman for the 2003-04 and the 2004-05 campaigns, had several announcements for this year's campaign.

Baglier said several new events will take place during this year's campaign that will kick off Sept. 9, the same day as the United Way's Day of Caring, in which volunteers complete service projects in the county for nonprofit organizations.

"This year we are going to have the first-ever United Way Auction that will be called 'Its Raining Men … And Women,'" she said.

The auction, that is being organized with the help of the Labor Council of Butler County, will sell the services of trades people - electricians, painters, plumbers, etc. - to the highest bidders.

Baglier also announced the United Way has a jump on the 2004-05 campaign with a $50,000 challenge grant from the Glenn and Rhea Jean McCandless Logan Family Foundation.

The late Glenn Logan was the owner of the former Logan Candy Co. in Butler.

Tom Foley, the United Way of Pennsylvania's president and chief professional officer, said the 12 percent increase the United Way of Butler County had in the 2003-04 campaign was the result of new fund-raising ideas.

He said Baglier and Osche worked to reach out to the labor community with the establishment of a labor liaison and worked to ensure donations made through regional companies came back to the county. Those kinds of actions helped Butler County experience the largest increase in donations in all the state's United Way chapters that have $1 million or more campaigns.

Leadership Butler County teaches community and business leaders about a variety of county topics including government and politics, the media, education, health care delivery and quality of life.

This year's class included 22 participants.

The Red Apple Education Award is given to a public school teacher in each of the county's seven districts. This has been a dormant award that is being revitalized with the help of the United Way, the Pennsylvania State Education Association and Armstrong.