Bravo, Angelina County. You've done it again.

Every year, the citizens and companies of this community reach their annual United Way fundraising goal. And every year, we applaud their efforts.

This year is different. This year, we're giving a standing ovation.

Angelina County's United Way team set a lower goal this year — a good idea, for sure, because of the way the economy has battered our area, particularly in the industrial realm. As it turns out, that wasn't necessary. Angelina residents and businesses have raised around $640,000, well above the $525,000 bar set earlier this year. That means a lot of people contributed a lot of money, often in $1 or $5 increments. Every dollar mattered.

Here's why it mattered: The money raised through the United Way of Angelina County goes to agencies that help people in this county who need it the most. As Jay Jackson, chairman of this year's local campaign, said, "That helps everyone from our very youngest citizens to our most mature, and everyone in between."

The organizations that will receive money from the successful 2009 United Way of Angelina County effort include the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council of Deep East Texas, Hospice in the Pines, the Katherine Sage Temple Child Care Center in Diboll, the Boy Scouts of Angelina County, the Angelina County Child Welfare Board for Protective Services, the Salvation Army of Angelina County, the Red Cross of Angelina County, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas, the McMullen Memorial Library, the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, the Wilson McKewen Rehabilitation Center, the Volunteer Service Council for the Lufkin State Supported Living Center, the Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center, the Lufkin Workshop & Opportunity Center, the Lufkin Adult Learning Center, the Angelina County Senior Citizens Activities Center, the Samaritan Counseling Center, the Girl Scouts of Angelina County, the T.L.L. Temple Memorial Library in Diboll, the Angelina Alliance for Children, the HOPE Center of Lufkin, the XChange Place, and the United Way's Emergency Relief fund. Again, every one of those agencies is based here and helps people here.

We realize there are people this year who have given in the past but were not able to do so this year due to job loss or other economic factors. Hopefully things are turning around for everyone in that situation. At the moment, we are so proud of everyone who has given extra this year to make sure the United Way of Angelina County reached its goal. We are amazed, again, at the generosity of the Lufkin Industries and its employees, who gave more than $250,000 to the cause this year. That's saying a lot, because the company has had a roller-coaster year of its own.

Again, we say thank you to everyone involved in the campaign, especially those who gave so freely. You deserve this standing ovation.