United Way of Peel Region raises record $13,752,578

On February 4 at the International Centre, more than 600 people cheered and danced as United Way of Peel Region announced that generous donors had contributed an outstanding $13,752,578 to the 2010 campaign. The results exceed the $13.75-million goal set last fall. It is the most ever raised in United Way’s annual campaign, which includes dollars raised in Peel or directed to Peel by donors outside the region.

“It was a tremendously challenging campaign, as the impact of the recession continued to linger in our community,” said 2010 Campaign Chair Barb Leavitt, General Manager of Baxter Canada and Strategic Initiatives Latin America/Canada. “At one point we thought we might miss our target. But our community rallied to our call of ‘United we can!’ and proved that Peel is filled with generous, compassionate individuals and organizations that want to make a deep difference.”

Through the extraordinary support of United Way’s 2010 campaign, donors will continue to change lives and build better futures in our community. Last year more than 420,000 people in Peel received support through services, programs and initiatives funded by United Way.

“It took all of us, united in action, to achieve this great result for our community,” United Way President and CEO Shelley White told the crowd. “We are so grateful for the fantastic response.”

To view photos from the CAC event, click here.

Meghan follows her dreams

For Meghan Crook, it was tough being a kid. She grew up in a single-parent household which she describes as “chaotic”. She didn’t have many friends and she often felt isolated and alone.

“I felt like I was under so much pressure,” she says. “I had bad grades in school and I didn’t feel there was anyone or anywhere I could turn for guidance or support.”

Through a United Way funded agency, at the age of 12, Meghan was matched with a mentor who taught her to manage her money and provided opportunities that helped her build confidence and expand her view of the world.

“When I met Donna, every single aspect of my life changed,” says Meghan, now 21. “She took me so many places and taught me so many things. Through her, I learned to believe in myself and to pursue my dreams.”

With the support of her mentor, Meghan, now 21, has graduated from college and plans to be a police officer. Currently, she volunteers as an in-school mentor to other children who need guidance and support.

“If it wasn’t for United Way and my mentor, I would never have had the courage to go to college and I would not be the confident woman that I am today,” she says.

United Way and the Region of Peel invest in Social Purpose Enterprise

What began as an occasional catering service is now a revenue-generating business thanks to a Social Purpose Enterprise (SPE) grant jointly funded by United Way of Peel Region and the Region of Peel. License to Cook operated by St. Leonard’s Place in Brampton is one of six projects receiving SPE grants totalling $61,600 this year. St Leonard’s Place provides residential care for homeless men with significant employment barriers.

“The grant from United Way of Peel and the Region of Peel has made it possible for License to Cook to take the first steps to becoming a sustainable business,” says St. Leonard’s Place Peel Program Manager Carmine Spadafora. “License to Cook gives purpose, hope and optimism to the homeless in our community. The SPE grant provides an opportunity for them to improve their lives through gainful employment while experiencing self-worth and value by preparing meals that bring joy to others.”

United Way launched its Social Purpose Enterprise granting stream in 2007 as part of its poverty reduction strategy. The Region of Peel recognized the impact of social purpose enterprise and became a funding partner in 2008.

There are two funding opportunities in this program:

• SPE Technical Assistance grants, totalling $21,600 this year, will assist agencies in exploring the viability of developing an social purpose enterprise
• SPE Development grants, totalling $40,000 this year, will help existing SPEs to expand their business.

“A social purpose enterprise is a business operated by a non-profit organization to address social needs while also generating revenue,” explains United Way President and CEO Shelley White. “It improves lives by providing employment opportunities and work experience for individuals outside the traditional workforce including single parents, newcomers, and those with mental health issues or physical disabilities.”

In addition to License to Cook, St. Leonard’s Place Peel is receiving a second SPE Development grant of $20,000 to further expand its cleaning company, License to Clean.

Further the following three agencies are receiving SPE Technical Assistance grants: Options Mississauga, The Village Keepers Child and Family Centre and Vita Centre.

To read our full news release click here.

Announcing our Spirit Award winners

United Way of Peel Region announced the recipients of the 2010 Campaign Spirit Awards at its 2010 Community Achievement Celebration held at the International Centre in Mississauga on February 4.

“The Spirit Awards honour inspirational and creative campaigns that demonstrate team spirit while raising funds for United Way,” said United Way President and CEO Shelley White. “Congratulations to all our recipients. Their support helped us raise a total of $13,752,578 to continue funding vital programs and services that families and individuals in our community depend on every day.”

To view our list of Spirit Award winners, click here.
To view photos of the Spirit Awards winners, click here.

Revera Inc. received a Best First-Time Campaign Spirit Award. 2010 was the first time in the company’s history that an employee fundraising campaign was held. The initial goal was $5,000 but Revera employees rallied together and surpassed that goal raising $19,589!

Honouring our youth

Emptying her piggy bank to buy lollipops for her classmates is how one generous kindergarten student showed her support for United Way. The students at Fernforest Public school who organized the lollipop sale are one of several groups of young people who received a United Way Youth Spirit award this year. The award honours children and youth who demonstrate fun and creativity while raising funds for United Way.

The Youth Spirit Award program is an initiative of United Way’s Young Leaders Council (YLC), a group of young adults focused on creating a legacy of giving and volunteerism that will strengthen our community.

"As the Chair of the Young Leaders Council, I’d like to congratulate all the Youth Spirit Award winners,” says YLC Chair Monika Platek. “It makes me so proud to see the true essence of community spirit in these young people. The future is bright because we have such passionate young volunteers to draw inspiration from.”

Youth-led campaigns across Peel raised a total of $10,547.89 for United Way this year. The awards will be presented at the schools of the winners.

To view the list of Youth Spirit Award winners and read our news release, click here.

We’re moving

United Way of Peel Region is relocating to the Sussex Centre in Mississauga effective March 25. At our new location, United Way will become part of an innovative concept in human care services — The Community Door. With locations in Brampton and Mississauga currently under development, the Community Door will provide shared space for local agencies to provide accessible, centralized services to individuals and families in Peel.

Our email and phone lines will not be available on March 25, but should be up and running the following business day, Monday, March 28. All phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.

When he was 22, Robert Ditchburn lost touch with reality. He was consumed with thoughts that his coworkers were talking about him behind his back and that his employer was trying to harm him.

Alarmed by Robert's behaviour, his father took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and given medication. Robert had joined the ranks of the 1 in 5 people in Canada who will personally experience a mental illness.

Robert returned to work two years later but relapsed when he stopped taking his medication. After a two-month hospitalization, Robert lost his job and feared for his future. He agonized over how he would get his life back on track.

Enter Destination Café.ca, a social purpose enterprise supported by United Way of Peel Region.

The café, operated by Supportive Housing in Peel, is staffed by mental health consumers and serves fair trade and freshly roasted coffee. Its mission is to support people with mental health issues through employment in a safe and flexible environment that promotes self-confidence and skill building.

Through its Social Purpose Enterprise Fund, United Way tackles a stubborn root of poverty — the challenges in finding and keeping a job faced by people with mental illness, intellectual disabilities or other conditions and situations.

A social worker connected Robert with the café and now, at age 27, he works as the manager of marketing and advertising. He also serves customers and credits the café for building his confidence and providing him with skills to move forward with his life.

“Growing into the business services role, Robert has been tremendous in thinking what is best for the customers, staff and the business,” says Shirley Hannigan, Robert’s job coach and coordinator of the café’s Work Well program. “He understands the product and is amazing at explaining the fair trade, organic coffee business.”

Once a shut-in, living with and dependent on his family, Robert now has meaningful employment, a network of friends and support, and lives independently.

“I’m proud of what Robert’s doing at the café,” says Robert’s father. “It’s given him more confidence and allowed him to live on his own and make his own decisions. He still maintains good contact with his mother and me but we don’t have the every day strain of feeling responsible for him. It’s a good thing.”

Just before becoming ill, Robert had applied to Humber College’s Marketing program. His acceptance came shortly after being diagnosed, so he declined the opportunity. But now he has the confidence and skills to think about one day returning to school and build on his experience at the café.

"I don't think I'd be anywhere close to where I am now if I didn't have the café," he says.

March 15 - Step Up and Learn: Networking Image workshop for individuals aged 20-35

May 14-15 - Mississauga Marathon