United we raised $4,000,000!!

United Way of Oakville is proud to announce that the Oakville community has raised $4 million for the 2011 campaign.

“This year we asked people to LIVE UNITED. The community responded with compassion and unparalleled generosity helping United Way of Oakville reach its highest achievement ever,” said Jeff Zabudsky, United Way of Oakville 2011 Campaign Cabinet Chair. “We would like to thank everyone who stood with us and stood with the community from the beginning.”

The announcement was made at the Campaign Achievement Celebration at Sheridan College on Januray 24th where local organizations and individuals were honoured for their outstanding contribution to United Way.

“I would like to thank everyone who chose to LIVE UNITED this year – the companies, organizations, individuals and labour unions. Your generosity is truly inspiring,” said Barbara Burton, United Way of Oakville CEO. “I would also like to thank Jeff Zabudsky, the entire 2011 Campaign Cabinet, and all the volunteers for their outstanding efforts. Their hard work and dedication has shown that together we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better life for all.”

Over 150 people took part in the festivities, which included performances by Theatre Sheridan. The following campaign awards were presented at today’s event.

• Agency Division Award– Halton Multicultural Council
• Business Division Award– Bunge Canada
• Education Division Award– Fern Hill School
• Manufacturing Division Award– Mattamy Homes
• Public Service Division Award– The Regional Municipality of Halton
• Service Division Award– Genworth Financial
• Joint Union/Management Campaign Award – CAW Local 707/Ford Motor Company of Canada, Oakville Assembly Complex
• Leadership Giving Campaign of the Year – Sheridan College
• Outstanding Workplace Campaign Coordinator Award– Sue Teepell and Steve Gardiner
• Outstanding Campaign Cabinet Volunteer Award– France Fournier
• New Employee Campaign Award – Voith Industrial Services/Local 707, Ellis Don Corporation, Oakville Soccer Club, Sunline Event Services
• Campaign Award – Sheridan College

United Way of Oakville also presented the fifth annual Lloyd Duncan Memorial Award for Outstanding Volunteerism to Gerry Popp.

United Way would like to thank the Oakville community for choosing to LIVE UNITED this year!

For more photos, visit our facebook page here

Why I give

Maria Cator – A Leader of the Way

I decided to become a leader for a couple of different reasons:

The first one is a little self serving. My husband and I can easily spend $80 a month on one dinner out and since I am working on eating healthier, I think this is a small sacrifice.

There are so many young people today that are hurting for so many reasons. Addiction is reality that a lot of families are dealing with and it can happen to any of us. I had the opportunity to tour a couple of the United Way agencies, one of them being the Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children. I have never forgotten one of the statements the coordinator of the this program said "children who suffer a loss early in life and don't receive counseling have a much higher chance of substance abuse problems later." I know this agency and many of the other agencies have waiting lists.

Also, being a support staff member, I was in the unfortunate position of being on strike in September, and it has been a challenge to catch up, but at the end of the day I feel very fortunate. I receive a paycheck every 2 weeks, and am able to go the grocery store and have dinner on the table every night for my family.

When you look at the list of agencies and really read and think of the people they are helping, each one of us probably knows of at least one person in our lives that may have, or could access one of the agencies that is funded by United Way for assistance at some point. So imagine the impact if each person at Sheridan gave $5 per pay, what a difference we at Sheridan could make in our community.

I am just an average working person. It took me 5 minutes to do the online pledge and I would challenge all Sheridan employees to pledge $5 per pay.

If you would like to donate to United Way of Oakville, please contact us at 905-845-5571 or donate online at www.uwoakville.org/donate

Imagine Canada's Ethical Code

To United Way of Oakville (UWO), transparency and accountability are essential.

With this in mind, we have joined Imagine Canada's Ethical Code Program. The Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code lays out a set of standards for charitable organizations to manage and report their financial affairs responsibly. Participation in this program is voluntary.

By adhering to these standards, UWO is complying with generally accepted practices for soliciting and managing donor dollars. This is important because you, as donors, are entitled to transparency and the greatest impact possible for your investment in our community through United Way.

In addition, UWO works with over 200 volunteers year round to keep our fundraising costs low, ensuring fiscal responsibility.

Feel good about donating to UWO this holiday season – when you donate to UWO 80 cents of every dollar raised goes into programs and services funded by UWO. Through just one gift, you are supporting 60 programs that help over 30,000 people in our community.

You can also learn more about Imagine Canada’s Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code here.

To view United Way of Oakville's Registered Charity Information Return (T3010) visit the Canada Revenue Agency website.

Congratulations Angus MacDonald

Congratulations Angus!

The Oakville District Labour Council presented Angus MacDonald with the Barney Banovac United Way Award on November 10th, 2011.

The Barney Banovac is presented to a true trade unionist who stands up for his members not only as a local union leader but one who leads in the community. This award is recognizes an individual who has excelled in the affiliate structure and/or the community of Oakville and District, in the area of Social Justice and the development of United Way and our partnership. The reciprient demonstrates both leadership and community volunteer contribution.

This award is named after a brother who worked diligently to develop inclusion and the strengthening of the social safety net in the Oakville and District area.

Angus MacDonald is the President of CAW Local 1256 and is also the Labour Division Chair for the United Way Campaign Cabinet.

A World without Violence

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United Way Volunteers

Faisal Saab, Community Impact Cabinet Chair

What I do: I believe socio-economic and political dynamics do shape our present and influence the future generations. I take special interest in socio-economic policies at all governmental levels within Canada and globally.

What I do for United Way: I chair the Community Impact Cabinet (CIC), for United Way Oakville. It’s a volunteer body responsible for creating policies regarding funding priorities and allocation process. CIC makes funding recommendations based on detailed reviews of all funding requests by citizen review committees.

Why I volunteer: I am driven by a deep-rooted belief in social justice and a strong commitment to contribute to a better world. United Way attracted my interest initially because it touched so many people. I am driven now by the potential leadership role United Way can play in eradicating some of the serious issues in our community.

To read more from the Toronto Star article please click here.