Sheriff Heading County Red Cross Drive

Sheriff Brad Gates will head this year’s fund-raising drive among county employees to support the United Way.

Gates, the county’s sheriff for 22 years, was appointed to the United Way campaign by Orange County supervisors. Previous drives have included raffles, lunchtime fairs with food booths, and sales of passes to wear jeans on Fridays.

The campaign, which begins in September and ends in March, generated $608,000 last year, ranking the county employees as the second-largest contributors to the United Way. Bank of America raised $620,000 of United Way’s $18.4 million in contributions last year. The money supports 115 health and human service organizations throughout the county.