There was no talk of dollar amounts at the 2015 United Way of Douglas County campaign kickoff Wednesday.

In the past, the focus has been on fundraising amounts, but this year is a little different. Local United Way members are asking community members simply to “improve more lives,” be it by volunteerism or donation, in the agency’s 2015 campaign.

Campaign co-chairs Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson and West Middle School assistant principal Kathy Branson said that they became involved with the United Way years ago. The couple said the 2015 campaign stands out among the rest.

“We have had financial goals in the past, and there’s always going to be a financial goal, but money shouldn’t be the emphasis,” Kathy Branson said.

Charles Branson said this approach helps explain the true purpose behind the United Way.

“The point is to talk about how (the United Way) makes a difference,” he said.

The Bransons dressed in hardhats and overalls at the campaign kickoff, which was at Lawrence’s new Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, 2920 Haskell Ave. Charles Branson said the getup and location were in coordination with the campaign’s theme, “United Way lives here. United Way works here.”

“The Peaslee Center is looking at work training and self-sufficiency, and that goes with the goals of the United Way,” Charles Branson said.

United Way of Douglas County board president Marlesa Roney said the theme should serve as a reminder that we have a lot of work ahead to ensure an educated, healthy, self-sufficient and prosperous community.

“The hardhats are an important symbol that we are a community and county under construction,” Roney said.

The local United Way outlined three goals for the coming year at its kickoff Thursday:

• Education: To ensure incoming kindergartners are prepared to succeed and that fourth- and fifth-grade students are proficient in math and reading.
• Health: To help everyone in Douglas County live healthy lifestyles and have access to mental and physical health care.
• Self-sufficiency: To make sure all Douglas County residents have “gainful employment and affordable housing,” and support the transition “from crisis to independence.”

United Way of Douglas County president and CEO Erika Dvorske said that though the goals may seem lofty, they are feasible if everyone contributes in some way.

“When you think of the size of the goals, that’s overwhelming if just a handful of people (get involved),” Dvorske said. “It’s actually doable if everyone does something.”

Whether it’s time or money, Dvorske said the community needs whatever its residents can afford to give. The United Way has plenty of volunteer opportunities at volunteerdouglascounty.org, as well as ways to donate available at http://www.unitedwaydgco.org/give.

According to its 2014 annual report, the United Way of Douglas County had a total revenue last year of about $1.92 million — $1.65 million of which came from its 2014 capital campaign. The organization spent nearly $660,000 on education needs, $835,000 on health and $723,000 helping community members reach self-sufficiency. Some highlights of what those funds did:

• Nearly 1,000 Douglas County preschoolers had early education needed for kindergarten preparedness.
• 711 children under 6 years old received free dental care.
• 2,500 people worked with AmeriCorps volunteers on health goals and health care access.
• 802 low-income community members received financial and budgetary coaching.
• 374 transient people found or retained jobs through United Way programs.