Photo: Contributed
The Southern Interior United Way kicked off its annual fundraising campaign this morning.
Some 300 local donors, community leaders, partner charities and corporate sponsors gathered for breakfast at the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna.
The event marked the official start of the workplace campaign by engaging thousands of employees in special events and other fundraising activities that help fuel over 65 per cent of the United Way Community Fund annually.
This week alone, the United Way announced grants of over $620,000 for 80 vital programs delivered by 54 charities across the Southern Interior, including the Central, South and North Okanagan, Similkameen, Columbia and Shuswap areas. The investments will help improve the lives of more than 85,000 people throughout the year.
Many of the charities United Way funds do not have any full-time fundraising staff of their own and rely on United Way grants to keep running.
“At United Way, we really do our homework … to ensure our donor dollars are invested wisely and make an impact,” United Way community investments manager Jude Brunt said.
In total, United Way invested $1.9 million in local communities. This year, several new charities have been awarded funding from the Community Fund, including Kelowna & District Share Society, Freedom’s Door, Recope, Childhood Connections, Lake Country Health Planning Society and the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Centre.
These investments are only made possible thanks to generous donations from each community.
“Year after year, we continue to find more organizations trying to find ways of supporting the needs in our community,” says Susan McIntyre, leadership donor and impact team leader with United Way SIBC.
All Get Involved Stories
