After four months of campaigning, the Centre County United Way exceeded its $725,000 goal by about $10,000.

At an executive board meeting last Thursday, Howard Olson, executive director of the organization, announced that with only a few accounts outstanding, the group had raised more than $735,000.

The group expects the total funds raised to reach $755,000 once all accounts are collected and other funding, such as from parallel fund raisers, is received, Olson said.

Olson commended the campaign cabinet and the many volunteers for their hard work.

The organization has been undergoing internal restructuring during the past three years to meet a challenge to double their resources.

After failing to reach its 1988 campaign goal of about $700,000 the group found it necessary to ask the community to strengthen its support of the United Way programs, Olson said.

Glen Pike, assistant county campaign chairman, is optimistic about tapping the community's resources.

"This community has great potential in raising money," Pike said last fall. "We need to get people involved."

In order to answer the call to raise more than $1 million by 1992 the group has increased yearly goals by about 11.5 percent. However, funds raised increased at a rate of about 9 percent a year from 1986 to 1988.

In an attempt to meet the increased goals, the United Way had to get the community more active in the campaign, Olson said.

The 1989 campaign saw more participation as many area businesses set new highs in their contribution through a payroll deduction program and individual corporate donations.

The funds raised in the campaign help support 34 health and human service agencies, Olson said.

The agencies help:

-- Centre County residents suffering from mental and physical disabilities .

-- More than 400 homeless people by providing food and temporary shelter.

-- Area children under the age of 18 living below poverty level.

Among the campaign's largest contributors was the University which raised about $175,000 by Dec. 1, exceeding its goal of $164,500.