Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the honourable Mike Colle, Chinese community leaders, social services providers and various multicultural groups, as well as local politicians, will join United Way of Peel Region as it launches its first ethnic advisory council on March 1 at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre.
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United Way of Peel Region announced the recipients of the 2006 Campaign Spirit Awards at its 2006 Community Achievement Celebration held at the Pearson Convention Center on February 15.
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More than three million GTA/905 residents are receiving less and less provincial funding for social services relative to other Ontarians and this funding gap for local social services continues to widen, reports the Strong Communities Coalition.This is having a dramatic effect on residents of regions such as Peel.
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Marlon was a 15-year-old youth who all the teachers knew had great promise. But in the previous two years his grades had slipped, his attendance at school was sporadic and his interest in anything to do with education was close to nil.
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Thursday, May 10 is United Way of Peel Region's spring Day of Caring, your opportunity to demonstrate that you care for the community. Join volunteers from organizations throughout the region and share your time, talent and a little bit of elbow grease with United Way-funded agencies. It's a fun and rewarding experience.
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Chase away the winter blues by imagining yourself on a lush, green golf course on a warm summer day. Mark Wednesday, July 4 on your calendar and book your spot in United Way of Peel Region's 16th Annual Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf and Country Club.
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A sold-out crowd of heroes cheered at the Pearson Convention Center on February 15 as United Way announced that it had raised $13,354,706 in 2006, handily surpassing the $13-million goal set last fall. The amount raised includes $1.2-million from national employee campaigns and an additional $1.8-million that has been designated by donors to other United Ways or registered charities.

"This really is a community of heroes," said Campaign Chair Carl Oxholm, referring to the 2006 campaign theme, Be a Hero. "When people learned how United Way brings together people from all parts of our community to address social challenges and focus on solutions, they responded with enthusiasm."

"United Way is committed to ensuring that people in our community are cared for, connected, and included," said Harry Mann, United Way Board Chair. "We want to inspire the type of change that makes our community stronger and improves the lives of everyone who lives here. We thank the many local heroes who help make this vision possible!"

Oxholm, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, noted that United Way gained more than 92 new Leadership donors who gave a minimum of $1,000 each for a total addition to the campaign of more than $105,000. As well, 31 local businesses participated for the first time, resulting in a more than $300,000 boost to the campaign.

"United Way thanks the many generous donors and volunteers who helped us raise over $13-million for our community," said United Way CEO Shelley White. "United Way is dedicated to working in partnership with all sectors and individuals to help us meet immediate needs as well as tackle the root causes of our community's most challenging problems, such as poverty, discrimination, domestic violence, social isolation, and insufficient funding for human services."

Attendees at the celebration included volunteers from companies and organizations across the region, representatives from United Way-funded agencies, organized labour, and municipal and community leaders.

The crowd was on its feet during the dynamic performances from the Chinese Dragon and Lion dance ensemble Northern Legs Southern Fists, youth drum and dance group Ngoma, and the Brampton-based urban dance group Baby Boyz.

The evening’s sponsors were Purolator, RP Graphics, Grant Thornton LLP, the Clorox Company of Canada, and Samuel, Son & Company. Gift-in-kind sponsors were Hershey Canada Inc., Light Concept Design, and Scrapalicious Inc.

Click here to view photographs from the event and to download the videos shown during the evening.

Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the honourable Mike Colle, Chinese community leaders, social services providers and various multicultural groups, as well as local politicians, will join United Way of Peel Region as it launches its first ethnic advisory council on March 1 at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre. The event marks the establishment of the Chinese Community Advisory Council and the enhanced relationship between United Way of Peel Region and the Chinese community.

The purpose of this council is twofold: one to enhance the relationship between UWPR and the Chinese community in Peel Region, and second, to provide recommendations to UWPR on engaging the Chinese community in a variety of ways.

The keynote speaker for the event is Dr. Joseph Y. K. Wong, the former Board Chair of United Way of Greater Toronto and current Chair of Yee Hong Wellness Foundation. The Road Chosen, a documentary about the success story of an early Chinese immigrant, will be part of the presentation.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Jenny Qin, United Way Community Outreach Coordinator, at 905-602-3628 or jqin@unitedwaypeel.org.

United Way of Peel Region announced the recipients of the 2006 Campaign Spirit Awards at its 2006 Community Achievement Celebration held at the Pearson Convention Center on February 15.

"The Spirit Awards program pays tribute to the most outstanding United Way campaigns over the past year," says United Way CEO Shelley White. "We are thrilled that so many individuals and organizations participated in the campaign this year, helping us raise a record $13,354,706. And for the first time, United Way of Peel Region presented a youth Spirit Award for outstanding elementary, middle and/or secondary school campaigns.

Congratulations to all the recipients!"

Click here to view photographs of the winners.

Best First-Time Campaign

• 100 or fewer employees: ADP Health and Safety Division, FHS Inc.
• 101-499 employees: ESI Canada
• 500 or more employees: Wells Fargo Financial

Outstanding Public-Sector Joint Union-Management Campaign

• 101-499 employees: Enersource Corporation and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 636
• 500 or more employees: The Regional Municipality of Peel and the Canadian Union of Public Employees Locals 2842 and 966, the Ontario Nurses Association, Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 228, The Peel Regional Police Association, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 175.

Outstanding Private-Sector Joint Union-Management Campaign

• ESAB Group Canada Inc. and United Steelworkers Local 9042

Outstanding Agency Campaign Award

• 20 or fewer employees: Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel
• 21 or more employees: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel

Speakers' Bureau Award

• Brett Paveling, Community Living Mississauga

Outstanding Leadership Giving Campaign Award

• GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

Outstanding Corporate Campaign Award

• 100 or fewer employees: Frito Lay Canada
• 101 to 499 employees: Baxter Corporation
• 500 or more employees: GE Canada

Outstanding Employee Campaign Award

• 100 or fewer employees: Kimberly-Clark Inc.
• 101-499 employees: Amgen Canada Inc.
• 500 or more employees: The City of Brampton

Best National Employee Campaign

• 500 or fewer employees: Kimberly-Clark Inc.
• 501 or more employees: GE Canada

'It's Your Say' Spirit Award for Youth

• Roberta Bondar Public School
• Bramalea Secondary School

Chair's Award of Merit

• The Regional Municipality of Peel

More than three million GTA/905 residents are receiving less and less provincial funding for social services relative to other Ontarians and this funding gap for local social services continues to widen, reports the Strong Communities Coalition.This is having a dramatic effect on residents of regions such as Peel.

New information from the provincial government indicates that the total funding gap for key social services between the GTA/905 regions and the rest of Ontario reached $688-million in 2005/06, an increase of 25 per cent from the 2003/04 period. The annual operating funding gap grew across all provincially funded social services examined such as child care, children's services including child welfare, adult services and developmental services. The per capita funding gap widened most for child care services where it grew by 62 per cent.

The widening gap in annual operating funding for social services is due to GTA/905 residents receiving between 50 to 60 per cent less funding on a per capita basis when compared to other Ontarians for each social service being tracked. GTA/905 regions receive $51 less per capita for developmental services compared to a provincial average of $101. Overall, GTA/905 residents receive $213 less per capita for key provincially funded social services when compared to what other Ontarians receive from the provincial government.

The new information provides further evidence of the growing funding gap in health care and social services documented by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in its fall report: Assessing the Gap in Health and Social Services Funding Between the GTA/905 and the Rest of Ontario. That report indicates that the residents of the fast-growing regions of Durham, Halton, Peel and York have fewer provincial resources for health and social services when compared to other Ontarians and that the annual operating funding gap is growing.

In its Growing Pains report released with the PWC report, the coalition's recommendations call for immediate growth funding for health and social services in Ontario's high growth regions; allocating provincial health and social services funding on the basis of population size, growth and needs - i.e., population-based, and the development of a human services plan to complement the government's Places to Grow initiative.

The Strong Communities Coalition is an alliance of the United Ways in Peel, York, Durham and Oakville and the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance with the support of York Region Human Services Planning Coalition and the Peel Fair Share Task Force. The coalition's goal is to improve local and timely access to comprehensive and quality health care and social services in the GTA/905 regions of Durham, Halton, Peel and York.

Marlon was a 15-year-old youth who all the teachers knew had great promise. But in the previous two years his grades had slipped, his attendance at school was sporadic and his interest in anything to do with education was close to nil. Marlon sometimes visited a United Way-funded agency's youth group. He was considered a typical "at risk" youth who seemed interested only in the images portrayed in hip-hop videos.

But a couple of years ago, things changed when an employee at the agency asked for volunteers to help plan a large event in February to celebrate Black History Month. Marlon was persuaded to research historical leaders. His research seemed to transform him. He became deeply fascinated by the lives of such black heroes as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger sparked the civil rights movement in the U.S. Marlon took pride in the fact that blacks were responsible for important innovations such as the traffic light and the preservation of blood plasma. He was especially excited to learn about Mathieu Da Costa, a black navigator and translator who came to Canada in 1606 with the famous explorer, Samuel de Champlain.

Today, Marlon continues to celebrate Black History Month and his own heritage. His grades have improved and he plans to go to college. Support provided through United Way has increased Marlon's personal pride and his ambition to succeed in life.

Thursday, May 10 is United Way of Peel Region's spring Day of Caring, your opportunity to demonstrate that you care for the community. Join volunteers from organizations throughout the region and share your time, talent and a little bit of elbow grease with United Way-funded agencies. It's a fun and rewarding experience.

Day of Caring begins with a breakfast rally at United Way before you head off to your assigned project. Each volunteer is responsible for their own transportation and lunch.

Volunteer activities may include painting, cleaning, outdoor yard clean-up or less active tasks such as mock job interviews and serving meals to seniors. Learn more about the agencies funded by United Way of Peel Region and the services they provide.

Sign-up for Day of Caring is on a first-come, first-served basis. A list of volunteer opportunities will be sent to you on request.

To participate in Day of Caring or for further details, please send your name and contact information to Marilyn Caird at mcaird@unitedwaypeel.org or call direct at 905-602-3625.

See what a difference a Day makes.

Chase away the winter blues by imagining yourself on a lush, green golf course on a warm summer day. Mark Wednesday, July 4 on your calendar and book your spot in United Way of Peel Region's 16th Annual Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf and Country Club. What a wonderful opportunity to socialize with friends and colleagues, win prizes, and raise funds for a good cause!

"Last year's tournament was a complete sell-out, so book early," urges 2007 Golf Committee Co-chair Scott Pichette. "And be sure to consider becoming a title or hole sponsor - it's a great way to gain exposure for your company and support United Way."

Foursomes are $1,800 ($2,000 including hole sponsorship). Registration begins in March.

Call Marilyn Caird, Communications Manager, Events & Sponsorship, at 905.602-3625 for further information.

Poverty in Peel is real.
The groups most vulnerable to poverty are also among the fastest-growing components of Peel's population. These groups include recent immigrants, visible minorities, single parents, young families with children, and unattached seniors.

Immigration is a major driving force behind the growth of Peel's community.
It has accounted for 62% of the growth in Peel's population over the past decade. Since 2001, the share of immigrants to the GTA settling in Peel has grown from 12% to 20%, while the proportion settling directly in Toronto has dropped from 80% to 65%.