With the start-up of the Connoquenessing Valley Community Chest’s annual fundraising campaign came a message that can be applied to the annual campaign of United Way of Butler County as well.

That message, which was expressed by Pat Murray, a Connoquenessing Valley board member, pointed to the need for more support by people new to the area, as well as by younger people of the community.

“We consistently have people that have supported the community chest, which is really great,” Murray said. “I would like to see some of the newer and younger people of the community get involved and help out the community. They can help support these community organizations and ensure they can continue to provide their services to the community for years to come.”

The community organizations to which he was referring are the Zelienople Community Park, Southwestern Butler County Food Cupboard, Meals on Wheels and the Zelienople Public Library.

Those organizations serve Zelienople and Harmony boroughs and Lancaster and Jackson townships.

Sometimes new residents and young people are slow to get involved in community activities, being uneasy about whether they will be welcomed and accepted.

Within the Connoquenessing Valley Community Chest, it’s clear now that there is no reason to hesitate. Murray’s message is an invitation that can plant the seed for strong leadership moving forward, as older leaders choose to step aside in coming years.

That is what United Way of Butler County seeks to do in encouraging new people to help with that agency’s annual giving effort. And in recent years it appears that progess is being made.

The Connoquenessing Valley fundraising will continue through mid-January. The campaign hopes to raise at least $35,000, but last year’s campaign collected $45,000.

Through the past four campaigns, more than $175,000 was raised.

Mary Hess, a Zelienople Park Board member, rightly praised what she described as the “great revitalization in the community chest.” She commended the community chest board for its “energy and drive.”

New involvement by the young and by newer residents will add to that vitality and help the agency continue on its positive path.

As Hess observed, “Without them (community chest), we would struggle to get a lot of projects done at the park.”

The community chest, over the past few years, has found the right recipe for success and seems poised for another successful campaign this year.

If the new and younger members of the area accept the community chest’s invitation, the prospects for greater success will increase even more. That is the community chest’s long-term goal, as well as the long-term objective for the United Way and other community groups.