A new campaign is helping to promote the United Way of Central New York's safety net programs. The local chapter funds about 25 programs at 16 different agencies in the Syracuse area. The "Live United - Go Orange" campaign is encouraging donations through text messaging and at this Friday's SU football game. Our Brad Vivacqua reports.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The United Way of Central New York plays a very important role in helping agencies like the Food Bank, the Red Cross and the Samaritan Center. The agency assists with food, shelter, and disaster programs for people who depend on those services from a number of agencies.

The United Way has partnered with Syracuse University this week to launch the Live United - Go Orange campaign. This week, people are encouraged to make donations to the United Way through text messaging. The campaign lasts until Friday's SU football game versus UCONN in the Dome.

A number of SU students will also be helping collect donations at the game in order to help the United Way assist numerous agencies with their programs.

"Through this texting effort, we make sure that everyone has the opportunity to give to United Way. And, it's also a way of seeing that you don't need to be giving us one thousand dollars. If you have a dollar, if you have ten dollars, if you have fifty dollars, it all makes a difference. At the end of the campaign, it’s those smaller donations that really make the difference in the community," said Kelly Gaggin, CNY United Way Marketing and Communications Director.

If you'd like to text a $10 donation to the United Way of Central New York, you can do that by texting UWCNY to 50555.

For more information about the local United Way and the programs it serves, just visit http://www.unitedway-cny.org/.