Today's the big day. The brand new Covington County United Fund gets kicked-off tonight at 7 p.m. at the Kiwanis Community Center with a big banquet introducing everyone to the new fund-raising arm of Covington County.

The Covington County United Fund, the product of the leadership of the boards of directors of the former Andalusia United Fund and Opp United Fund is now established to serve all of Covington County -- not just a portion.

Of course, with the old funds, that wasn't the case -- only the perception. Now unified, the one fund is out to serve the greater good of Covington County.

You have an opportunity to be a part of that.

You can call up the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce at 222-2030, or the Opp and Covington County Area Chamber of Commerce at 493-3070 and purchase a ticket for only $10 per person to attend tonight's festivities. With your small donation of $10, you not only get a great meal, but you get to hear a dynamic speaker -- Jerry Bynum of Camp ASCCA -- but you get to meet with the more than two dozen agencies that work daily to provide a better life for Covington County's citizens. You also get the opportunity to contribute to a worthy cause -- helping each other out.

One of the things that makes the Covington County United Fund so different from other agencies is the fact that it is local people working hard for other local people. The member agencies are made up of our neighbors -- people we go to church with, people we see at football and baseball games, people we know and trust.

During tonight's ceremony, we'll all find out what the goal is for this year's Covington County United Fund. We know it's going to be a goal that we can easily reach. All we have to do is work together and show our community spirit.

We'll be there tonight, won't you come and join us in celebrating the spirit of Covington County?

Because Covington County -- we're all counting on each other.