Local non-profit agencies that wish to receive funding through the 2010 Covington County United Fund (CCUF) must return their applications by Friday at 5 p.m., CCUF secretary Heather Murphy said.

“We have to have the applications so our board has time to look at them,” Murphy said. “The board will make sure that the organization is legitimate, and consider their request for funding and we’ll use that to set our goal for the year.”

The 2009 CCUF raised $109,602, coming up short of its goal of $162,000. Murphy said the goal for this year would probably not be set quite as high.

Some of the agencies that have received funding through the United Fund in previous years included Boy Scouts, youth sports, libraries and the ministerial association.

“There is a wealth of agencies that are helped out by the United Fund, and they’re all here in Covington County,” Murphy said. “We’ll do our kickoff probably sometime in September or October. Different volunteers — for example, some of the kids who play youth sports — will go out into the community and distribute information to the local businesses who wish to donate in this year’s United Fund.”

Murphy said most agencies have already received their applications, but if not, the forms can be picked up at the Opp and Andalusia chambers of commerce. Interested agencies can also call Murphy at 222-2030 to request a form.

“Everybody who participated in the United Fund last year should have gotten a form,” Murphy said. “If they didn’t, they need to call me right away and give us updated addresses and contact information. It’s not too late yet, and I’ll be glad to send a form out to them.”