Hurry! The deadline for entries into United Way of Peel Region's Spirit Awards competition is January 7, 2007.

United Way of Peel Region's Spirit Awards honour the inspiration and passion evident in our very best campaigns. Spirit Award winners take campaign best practices and tailor them to fit their organizational and workplace culture. Year after year, our winners find innovative, creative ways to raise more dollars for the community.
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Nelly Gong, former United Way of Peel Region Board member, and Dawin Kong, Executive Director of the Toronto Chinese Community Services Association, a United Way of Peel Region-funded agency, have been elected as Co-chairs of the Chinese Community Advisory Council (CCAC).
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The Regional Diversity Roundtable (RDR) has been successful in its bid for funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. RDR has been granted $207,000 over three years for its capacity-building initiative.
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Fundraisers for United Way aren't all fun and games. In November, Zenaida Forbes, fundraising coordinator for the Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel, a United Way of Peel Region-funded agency, organized two "brown-bag lunch 'n' learn" sessions in support of United Way.
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United Way of Peel Region and its partners have received a $255,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for the Mississauga Healthy City Stewardship Centre (HCSC). On the heels of this good news came the announcement on December 7 that the City of Mississauga won the 2006 World Leadership Award for its Healthy City Stewardship initiative in a ceremony held in the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England. Mississauga competed against Lima, Peru, and Madrid, Spain, for the honour.

The centre will support the coordination and implementation of the city's Healthy Mississauga 2010 Plan. The grant will be dispensed over a four-year period.

HCSC draws together 14 community partners that share a common vision for a healthy city where people enjoy optimal physical, mental, social and spiritual health. United Way of Peel Region is a partner in the initiative.

"United Way is pleased to be a partner in the Healthy City Stewardship Centre," said Shelley White, CEO of United Way of Peel Region. "The Ontario Trillium Foundation grant will facilitate the implementation of the Healthy Mississauga 2010 Plan to ensure that people in Mississauga have equal access to health information and services; that they feel safe in their communities; and that they live in and contribute to a clean and sustainable environment."

While the health of Mississauga is considered to be favourable, recent trends, such as obesity rates and poverty levels, cause concern for the city's future health.

"Roughly two thirds of total deaths in Canada are due to preventable chronic disease, and the people who live and work in Mississauga are not exempt from that statistic," said Michael Cloutier, President and CEO of AstraZeneca Canada Inc. and Chair of HCSC. "This important grant will allow us to continue the vital work of the Healthy City initiative and safeguard the health of this world-class community - now and in the future."

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United Way of Peel Region is having a "heroic" year and we want to honour you, our heroes, at our annual Community Achievement Celebration on February 15. Join us as we acknowledge our achievements and pay tribute to the companies, organizations and individuals who helped make this year's campaign a huge success for the benefit of our community.

When:	Thursday, February 15, 2007 5:30 p.m. - Cocktail reception 6:30 p.m. - Dinner Entertainment and Awards presentation to follow dinner.
Where:	Pearson Convention Center 2638 Steeles Ave. E., Brampton
Tickets:	Early Bird Special - $55 per seat, or a Table of 8 for $440, when you order on or before January 3, 2007. Tickets purchased after January 3, 2007 - $60 per seat or a Table of 8 for $480. Download a copy of the invitation and ticket order form.
Event Sponsors:	Grant Thornton LLP

A range of sponsorship opportunities for Community Achievement Celebration is available. Please contact Marilyn Caird, Communications Manager, Events & Sponsorship, at 905.602.3625 or mcaird@unitedwaypeel.org for details.

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Hurry! The deadline for entries into United Way of Peel Region's Spirit Awards competition is January 7, 2007.

United Way of Peel Region's Spirit Awards honour the inspiration and passion evident in our very best campaigns. Spirit Award winners take campaign best practices and tailor them to fit their organizational and workplace culture. Year after year, our winners find innovative, creative ways to raise more dollars for the community.

This year, students in Peel who get in the spirit for United Way will be recognized for their efforts. United Way has expanded its popular Spirit Awards program to include categories for student-run campaigns in elementary, middle and secondary schools. The It's Your SAY Spirit Awards for Youth will be presented to schools that find innovative and creative ways to promote school spirit, fun and cooperation while fundraising for United Way of Peel Region.

In addition to the new It's Your Say Spirit Awards for Youth, United Way presents awards in the following categories:

Outstanding Agency Campaign Award
Presented to an agency employee campaign that has exceptional participation and promotes giving to the Community Fund. Awarded to both funded and non-funded agencies.

Outstanding Corporate Campaign Award
Presented to a corporation/company that excels in the many areas of corporate support to United Way.

Outstanding Employee Campaign Award
Presented to the employee campaign that has the greatest increase in participation and/or dollars raised.

Best First-Time Campaign Award
Presented to a new workplace campaign that has had outstanding participation in its first campaign. It recognizes new campaigns that have vitality, excitement, involvement and excellent communication. Workplaces that have not run a campaign in two years are also eligible.

Leadership Giving Campaign Award
Presented to the workplace campaign that conducts an exemplary Leadership Giving campaign. There is only one Leadership Giving Campaign Award presented each year.

Best National Employee Campaign Award
Presented to the employee campaign that runs an exceptional national campaign has the greatest increase in participation and/or dollars raised.

Outstanding Joint Union-Management Campaign
Presented to a workplace campaign run jointly by union members and management that exemplifies teamwork, leadership and community giving. Awarded in both the private and public sector categories.

Speakers' Bureau Award
This award will be presented to the Speakers' Bureau volunteer who was an active and effective ambassador for United Way throughout the entire campaign.

Chair's Award of Merit
Presented by the Campaign Chair to a company or organization that has gone above and beyond their traditional support during the campaign.

Spirit Award entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2007.Spirit Award winners will be announced at United Way's Community Achievement Celebration on February 15, 2007.

For more information about the Spirit Awards, visit the Spirit Awards page on United Way's website.

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In October, the Peel Newcomer Strategy Group (PNSG), of which United Way of Peel Region is the lead agency, met with the Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Director General of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and their staff. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Federal-Provincial Immigration Agreement and opportunities resulting from the agreement that will allow Peel to build its capacity to improve and enhance services to new immigrants.

PNSG was founded upon an idea of two United Way of Peel Region Board members in January 2006 who suggested that we should take the same integrated approach to new immigrant services as we have been going with the Early Years and Success By 6 initiatives. PNSG has now developed a two-year plan and funding proposal for consideration by CIC for the successful integration of newcomers. The purpose of the proposal is to provide funding to Peel that will support the creation of a comprehensive new immigrant service strategy/plan for Peel. This initiative is directly linked to United Way of Peel Region's priority area of "helping newcomers and immigrants to settle and integrate".

PNSG is comprised of key stakeholders that came together because of a growing recognition that there was a need to improve the integration of newcomers/immigrants. In February 2006, United Way of Peel Region and the Region of Peel co-sponsored an immigration planning and visioning meeting. At that meeting, a preliminary vision emerged to ensure the successful integration of newcomers into all aspects of community life through a coordinated and integrated community plan.

"There is no question that Peel needs a new immigrant service strategy. Peel is one of the fastest growing regions in Canada and is a main destination for newcomers to Ontario," said Shelley White, CEO of United Way of Peel Region. According to the 2001 census, immigrants comprise approximately 43% of the Peel population vs. 27% of the Ontario population. 62.6% of Peel's population growth between 1996 and 2001 was due to immigration into Peel and there are now over 93 distinct ethnic groups and over 60 different languages spoken. Even with university degrees, newcomers earn only 71% of what Canadian-born university graduates earn.

A key strategy in the development of the community plan will be to seek input directly from newcomers and immigrants, employers, service providers, funders and other community partners.

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Nelly Gong, former United Way of Peel Region Board member, and Dawin Kong, Executive Director of the Toronto Chinese Community Services Association, a United Way of Peel Region-funded agency, have been elected as Co-chairs of the Chinese Community Advisory Council (CCAC). Established by United Way of Peel Region, CCAC is a voluntary community group whose purpose is to assist and provide recommendations to United Way on engaging the Chinese community in a variety of ways. It cultivates a relationship with the Chinese community to build and strengthen a mutually beneficial relationship with United Way.

Currently, CCAC, in conjunction with United Way, is conducting an informal assessment of the Chinese community to identify strengths, barriers and needs.

Information is being gathered from human service agencies that serve the Chinese community and from other agencies and various United Ways.

On March 1, 2007, CCAC is holding a special luncheon at a soon-to-be-announced venue. The principal purpose of the event is to increase the profile of CCAC in the Chinese community and the community at large, especially among leaders, and to demonstrate United Way's role. Delegates from all three levels of government, various Chinese community and business organizations, human service agencies and multi-cultural agencies will be invited to attend. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Joseph Y.K. Wong, former Board Chair of United Way of Greater Toronto and current Chair of Yee Hong Wellness Foundation.

For further information about the luncheon, please contact Jenny Qin, Community Outreach Coordinator, United Way of Peel Region, at
905-602-3628 or jqin@unitedwaypeel.org.

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The Regional Diversity Roundtable (RDR) has been successful in its bid for funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. RDR has been granted $207,000 over three years for its capacity-building initiative. RDR's goal is to enhance the capacities of organizations and institutions to develop and implement their own diversity initiatives in order to better deliver effective, efficient, inclusive and diversity-competent services.

The Social Planning Council of Peel is the sponsoring organization. The coordinator's position will be hosted by United Way of Peel Region for a one-year period.

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Maria met her future husband when she was 19. As their relationship progressed, he began to abuse her. When they decided to marry, she was sure that the violence would end, especially after she became pregnant.

It never did. Not with her first child, not with her second and not with her third. In the end, Maria sought solace at a shelter. She also turned to a funding program supported by United Way of Peel Region that had been created in the aftermath of the infamous "Montreal Massacre" of 14 women in December 1989. But not before she endured much more mistreatment.

After many years of staying at home, Maria she decided to get a job to help build her self-esteem. Her husband violently objected. One day, out of desperation, she picked up her kids from school and went straight to a shelter.

Maria and her children stayed at the shelter for six months while she continued to work and put together a new life. Even though she worked, there was just no way she could afford the start-up funds required for a new place to live. Her shelter worker referred her to the United Way-supported funding program where she would be eligible for an interest-free loan.

Maria and her three children finally moved into their own place. "Without the funding program [supported by United Way], the shelter staff and the support of my employer, none of this would have been possible," said Maria gratefully. She paid her loan in three years and is enjoying a life free of violence.

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Fundraisers for United Way aren't all fun and games. In November, Zenaida Forbes, fundraising coordinator for the Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel, a United Way of Peel Region-funded agency, organized two "brown-bag lunch 'n' learn" sessions in support of United Way. Experts on the various laws pertaining to sexual assault and woman abuse were guest speakers. The sessions not only demonstrated fundraising creativity, but served as an informational/educational tool for social service agencies and the public in a relaxed, informal lunch-time setting.

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United Way of Peel Region has 1,336 volunteers who have provided 27,539 hours of service, valued at an average of $17.55 per hour, for a total contribution of $483,309.
Volunteers are the backbone of the United Way movement. United Way of Peel Region's own mission and strategic directions point to the invaluable leadership provided by volunteers from our community.

Almost 62% ($4,340,020) of United Way of Peel Region's community investment for 2006-07 was allocated to one of five funding priorities: strengthening families and children.
Children and families in Peel do not have the same access to services as those in other regions. They wait longer and receive less service. In addition, many people do not even go on waiting lists because they realize their needs cannot be met in a timely fashion.