With songs, dance and a round of cheers, United Way of West Central Mississippi kicked off its campaign to raise $1.48 million for its member agencies.

Agency directors and representatives strutted their stuff on stage at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center, donning choir robes and belting out a rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” the Motown classic that serves as the official anthem and slogan for the 2012 campaign.

The mountain the United Way must climb in its effort to raise its goal this year is a daunting one.

“This year’s campaign is going to be challenging due to the economic situation,” said Sandy Carpenter, a united Way Volunteer who delivered the keynote address Wednesday. “We need you to dig deep this year.”

The local United Way helps fund 36 programs at 23 member agencies in Warren, Sharkey, Issaquena, Claiborne, Hinds and Yazoo counties and Madison Parish in Louisiana.

“We’re going to have to get everyone involved. We need your support and we need your dollars so that our agencies can continue to do what they do best. And that’s to serve everyone who comes through their doors,” Carpenter said.

The agency already has raised more than $656,000 though 18 Pacesetters who made early donations before the regular campaign began, said Pacesetter co-chairman Johnny Reynolds.

“That says a lot,” Reynold said.

The giving spirit seems to be part of Mississippi Culture, said campaign chairwoman Amy Haygood. Mississippi ranks among the top states in the nation in donations to charity, she said.

“You know what else we’re ranked first in? Giving. You know why? Because we care,” Haygood said.