Volunteers for the United Way of Douglas County got a bit wet Saturday as they tried to plant flowers and mulch yards in the rain, but organization officials say the fund-raising forecast is anything but gloomy.

More than 400 volunteers participated in nearly 100 service projects throughout Douglas County as part of Day of Caring, the official kick-off to the annual fund-raiser. Tallies showed the campaign  which runs through November  already has raised about $247,000, 17 percent of the $1,462,600 goal.

That puts donations ahead of where they were at this point in 2001 when local fund raising was made more difficult by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said Jo Bryant, executive director of United Way of Douglas County.

In addition, the program’s Pacesetters  16 area businesses that help jump-start the campaign  collectively increased their donations by at least 20 percent during the last year.

“We really put a lot of effort into these 16 campaigns,” Bryant said. “I just am thrilled by the results.”

Amarr Garage Door, 3800 Greenway Circle, received the Pacesetter Superstar award at a kick-off breakfast for the largest increase in fund raising. Last year the company raised $10,604. This year it brought $27,692 to the campaign, a 161 percent increase.

The World Company collected the highest amount for the campaign at $43,478, a 13 percent increase from 2001.

Winners of the Wallace Galluzzi Volunteer of the Year Award also were announced Saturday. Reta Cosby won in the adult division for starting the Ninth Street Outreach Center, an after-school and summer youth academy. She and part-time volunteers provide tutoring, field trips and other activities.

Pat Harmon, 14, won in the youth division for his volunteer work at the 21st Century Community Learning Center at Woodlawn School.

Created in 1985, the awards are named for the late Wallace Galluzzi, a former principal at Haskell Institute who was well-known for his service to the Lawrence community.

After winners were announced and breakfast finished, it was a day of hard work: window washing, deck sealing and bulk mailing, to name just a few tasks given to volunteers.

Whether picking up litter on bike trails, visiting the elderly or preparing literacy kits at the public library, volunteers stayed busy most of the morning, said Michelle Heller, director of the Roger Hill Volunteer Center.

The day is a chance for local businesses and organizations to get help on tasks that otherwise wouldn’t get done, she said.

At the Lawrence Humane Society, about 30 volunteers worked in the yard, bathed animals and painted walls, said director Midge Grinstead. They also hooked up a few computers and cleaned out a storage area.

The trees she has wanted to plant for a year are finally in the ground, and the staff kitchen is spotless.

“I’ve been here five years and I’ve never cleaned out all of those cupboards,” said Grinstead, noting that something else always came up. “We just can’t do it.”