WE Summer/Fall 2015

MAGAZINE OF UNITED WAY OF THE ALBERTA CAPITAL REGION • SUMMER/FALL • 2015

Invested in Giving

Meet some local champions who donate time, money and effort

New Days Dawning Stephenie White turns a tough start into inspiration, helping other young people

Hear His Voice Bill LeBlanc’s hip hop salute wins over community

Plus: Locally, big banks set aside competition to share their expertise for the common good

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ISSUE OF MAGAZINE WE MAGAZINE IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED THISTHIS ISSUE OF WE IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED

BY BY EPCOR

k n a Th You

FOR PAVING THE PATH TO A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY!

Your generous support, along with the help of over 500 volunteers, has allowed United Way’s Tools for School program to put backpacks in the hands of more than 10,000 children from kindergarten to grade 12 for the 2015/16 school year.

Backpacks are distributed to families with limited resources in 30 communities accross the Alberta Capital Region.

A n i n i t i at ive o f Unite d Wa y of t h e A l b e rta Ca pita l Re gio n

STURGEON COUNTY

LAMONT COUNTY

EDMONTON PARKLAND COUNTY

STRATHCONA COUNTY LEDUC COUNTY

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SUMMER/FALL • 2015 SPOTLIGHT Your Best Investment 10 NEW DAYS DAWNING Stephenie White overcomes loss and addiction to invest her time in other young people

14 A ROAD MAP FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE 10

Empowering parents with the tools they need to give Alberta’s children the best possible start

DEPARTMENTS

▲ ON THE COVER: Stephenie White is off the streets and giving back PHOTO: Cooper + O’Hara

4 MESSAGE FROM UNITED WAY

17 THE VALUE OF GIVING Some Capital Region residents talk about the power of donating time, money and passion

5 THIS WAY IN

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Meet your United Way and find out about recent initiatives

21 KIT AND CABOODLE 17

9 TRUTH BE TOLD

FEATURES

There is a generous side to every downturn

24 HIS VOICE Hip hop artist Bill LeBlanc, a.k.a. Rellik, shares a powerful message on poverty as winner of the My United Way Voice contest

40 BUSINESS WAY The Heartland Challenge sees Alberta’s industrial leaders stepping forward

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Families First is growing with a little help from its friends

31 SCORECARD UPDATE A look at United Way’s progress towards targets in five areas

42 MILESTONES A venerable civic employees’ fund with a wartime start continues to give

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28 WE STAND An Edmonton youth conference engages students to inspire social change

41 LEADING EDGE

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Family kits teach parents to interact with their kids with age-appropriate books, toys and activities

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34 SPONSOR PROFILE: FOUNTAIN TIRE A community icon since 1956, this company is leaving a legacy

36 MAKE TAX TIME PAY Capital Region banks are setting aside competition to offer their expertise for the common good

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O UR WAY

SUMMER/FALL 2015 VOL 4 • No. 2 UNITED WAY OF THE ALBERTA CAPITAL REGION EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Nancy Critchley ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Angela Dorval, Mike Kluttig, David Odumade COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Cindy McDonald EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Myrna Khan, Sheilah Pittman, Anne Smith, Mary Stewart Myrna Khan Vice-President, Resource Development

SPONSORSHIP AND CORPORATE SUPPORT COMMITTEE Nancy Critchley, Kevin Fitzgerald, Myrna Khan, Mike Kluttig, Stephane Hache

Pathways Out of Poverty

VENTURE PUBLISHING INC. PUBLISHER: Ruth Kelly DIRECTOR OF CUSTOM CONTENT: Mifi Purvis MANAGING EDITORS: Lyndsie Bourgon, Shelley Williamson ART DIRECTOR: Charles Burke ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Andrea deBoer PRODUCTION MANAGER: Betty Feniak PRODUCTION TECHNICIANS: Brent Felzien, Brandon Hoover CIRCULATION: Karen Reilly

I KNOW THAT ADDRESSING POVERTY SEEMS LIKE a huge challenge – almost insurmountable, but as a community we have proven over and over again that we are problem solvers. We tackle the biggest, most ambitious tasks and we find solutions; that’s why I am certain we can and will find solutions to eliminate poverty in the Alberta Capital Region.

It’s during times of economic uncertainty, when the need is greater than ever, that I am always astounded by the generosity and kindness of people in our community. As someone who grew up here, it’s shocking to think that amongst all the prosperity, 120,000 people in our community live in poverty, but I know that by working together we can change that.

Thanks to our donors, United Way is creating pathways out of poverty for the people in our community who need it most – people of all ages and backgrounds. The gifts our donors entrust to us are invested locally in programs that move past managing symptoms of poverty and work towards ending it.

At United Way, we know that poverty is not something that one organization, or even one government can handle alone, that’s why we are working with multiple stakeholders and more than 50 social service partners to find a solution – together.

Thank you to Fountain Tire for sponsoring this issue of WE magazine; it’s through your support that we can empower people in our community to lead happy and healthy lives without the stress of poverty. A poverty-free community benefits us all.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Allison Badger, Steven Butterworth, Lisa Catterall, Caitlin Crawshaw, Angela Dorval, Martin Dover, Michael Hingston, Myrna Khan, Lani Lupul, Cheryl Mahaffy, Nadia Moharib, Erin McCarty CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS: Cooper + O’Hara, Nancy Critchley, Buffy Goodman, Pedersen, Lisa Rebnord, Vivid Ribbon Photography & Design, Ben Rude, Amy Senecal ABOUT UNITED WAY The mission of United Way of the Alberta Capital Region is to mobilize collective action to create pathways out of poverty.

WE is published for United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

by Venture Publishing Inc., 10259-105 Street Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3 Tel: 780-990-0839 Fax: 780-425-4921 Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 circulation@venturepublishing.ca Printed in Canada by Transcontinental Interweb WE is printed on Forest Stewardship Council ® certified paper Publications Agreement #40020055 ISSN 1925-8690 Contents copyright 2015.

Content may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission from United Way of the Alberta Capital Region.

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by UNITED WAY STAFF

A SWEET BID ON APRIL 30, UNITED WAY AUCTIONED OFF A one-of-a-kind Edmonton Oilers jersey, autographed by Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and the rest of the 1984 Edmonton Oilers alumni, signed during the 30th anniversary celebration of the dream

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team’s first Stanley Cup championship win. The highest bid went to Chad Mielke, pictured here with Sarah Chan, left, and United Way’s Myna Khan. He was thrilled to be able to support his community through his love of hockey.

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TOP 3 REASONS TO DONATE UNITED WAY AIMS TO LIFT PEOPLE out of poverty and prevent people from falling into it in the Alberta Capital Region by looking beyond the symptoms. No other organization offers a broader range of solutions, impact and results.

Here are three reasons to consider donating to United Way.

1. LASTING SOLUTIONS. United Way helps

PLAY ON! UNITED WAY STAFF PERFECTED THEIR SLAPSHOTS while participating in Play On, an outdoor street hockey tournament, organized by Hockey Night in Canada. A portion of the entry fees from the Corporate Division were donated to United Way of the Alberta Capital Region.

deliver more than 80 programs that help people lift themselves from poverty or prevent them from falling in to it.

2. LOCAL IMPACT. Donor support stays close to home. All donor dollars benefit families and individuals right here in our region.

3. RESULTS YOU CAN SEE. United Way sets clear, realistic targets and reports back to the community about progress, allowing donors to see the benefits of their investment.

PHOTO: VIVID RIBBON PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN

HEROES VS. VILLAINS ON JUNE 5, 2015, CROWDS were treated to a fun-filled evening of food, handmade items and music at the Heroes vs. Villains Market hosted

by MacEwan University and Creative Edmonton, a group of organizers that connect to their community by supporting local causes.

A portion of the evening’s proceeds went to United Way’s Tools for School, a program that provides backpacks filled with school supplies for students in the Alberta Capital Region whose families have limited resources.

CREATIVE CAUSE: Contestants dressed in hero and villain inspired outfits and competed in super hero-themed challenges.

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EMPOWERED: United Way of the Alberta Capital Region staff showed their support of June Dresses, a campaign aimed at improving female confidence and education through dress.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE, WOMEN FROM across the province wore dresses or skirts every day in support of charities that promote female confidence, education and empowerment.

In the Capital Region, funds raised were directed to Empower U, a program aimed at increasing financial literacy among women living in poverty in our community. The program is open to women of

diverse backgrounds who are experiencing low income and poverty. Empower U combines a financial literacy program with a match savings component. These savings are designated for asset purchase related to improving quality of life, education and job training. To learn more about Empower U, or to become involved in June Dresses, visit junedresses.ca.

SPRAY A WHILE ON JUNE 27, 2015, RESIDENTS OF LEDUC and area celebrated the grand opening of the Alexandra Spray Park and re-opening of the renovated outdoor pool. The family event featured bouncy castles, crafts and, with temperatures nearing the 30-degree mark, a chance to cool down in the pool and spray park.

United Way provides funding to the Boys and Girls Club of Leduc and the Leduc & District Food Bank and United Way staff were happy to help out at the event to show their support of the community.

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WALK A MILE IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE DAILY CHALLENGES faced by people living in poverty, United Way offers the opportunity to participate in a poverty simulation. The simulation replicates a month in the life of a family living in poverty. The ultimate mission of each of these families is to provide food, shelter and other basic needs with a limited income.

Participants experience a full range of encounters, obstacles, challenges and emotions while trained volunteers populate the simulation as business owners, teachers, police officers, agency workers, service providers and government employees.

This is a powerful experience that challenges perceptions, changes perspectives and strengthens understanding and empathy.

If you are interested in signing up for a poverty simulation visit myunitedway.ca/ poverty-simulation.

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2015 POVERTY SIMULATION DATES: • September 23 • September 30 • October 15 • October 21 • November 5 • November 13 • November 20 • December 2

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TRUTH BE TOLD

by MARTIN DOVER

Compassion in Tough Times Contrary to what you might think, an economic downturn often brings out the best and most generous in corporate Albertans

ALBERTA’S FOOD BANKS FELT it first – the uptick in demand. In July, news reports said that in Taber, the increase in demand was about nine per cent; in Fort McMurray, reports said food bank usage was up by more than 55 per cent. The Capital Region’s food banks also saw increased visits and new clients – the hallmark of a downturn brought on by low oil prices.

The impacts will be felt in the province for the foreseeable future.

You’ve heard the stereotypes about downturns in the economy. People hunker down, tighten their belts and demonstrate fiscal restraint – right?

Well, yes and no. For the folks who lose their jobs, there is no choice. But what about the rest of us, the lucky ones who still have a steady income?

And the businesses that are still enjoying success? It turns out that corporate and private Albertans are pretty good at helping each other in tough times.

1. STRONG PARTNERSHIPS HELPS SPUR ACTION. “I work with corporate partners to let them know what the needs are in our community,” says Kevin Fitzgerald, director of corporate partnerships at United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. “But equally important is finding out their priorities, and

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understanding what they want their community investment to achieve.”

Kevin works closely with the stakeholders, staff and management of companies, to find out more about them, and to let them know how a strong commitment to United Way can help them strengthen their brand, culture and engagement amongst staff.

And importantly, he shows how their corporate social responsibility policies are put into action through United Way-funded partner agencies, when times are good and bad. In times of a downturn, Kevin sees management and staff dig deeper.

2. RESOLVE TO HELP STRENGTHENS AMONG STAFF IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY. “There is no doubt that organizations are being impacted,” says Kevin. But the resolve to give back increases, especially if there is a history of strong engagement, he explains. After all, it’s hard for people to watch co-workers lose their jobs.

“Overall campaign amounts might be lower with a smaller staff, but nobody bows out of a workplace fundraising campaign,” he says, “especially when they have seen co-workers lose their jobs.” As organizations put expenses, including staffing, under the microscope,

remaining employees can feel the pressure. Uniting to help the social agencies in their community allows staff and management to retain the commitments that shape the company’s character.

3. UNITED WAY PARTNERSHIPS HELP BUILD MORALE AND RETAIN TOP TALENT IN TOUGH TIMES. Staff can become pressured with increased workloads during times of cutbacks. “Participating in workplace campaigns can help build community among staff and can increase morale,” Kevin says. “When the efforts are supported financially and logistically by the company, it shows the business is not only about the bottom line.”

He says the management of most companies understands that a downturn is not the time to dismiss a robust policy of corporate social responsibility. The companies that Kevin engages with will typically make sure they are adhering closely to their corporate social responsibility policies.

“There is pressure, but companies understand that to retain top talent, they need to make sure they are living up to their commitments,” Kevin says.

“And when they do, their staff can see it and appreciate it – and get on board with their own campaigns.”

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THE GOOD LIFE: Stephenie White started her life on the street as a teen. A young adult now, she is in university, on a pathway out of poverty.

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Dawning

Community Investment

New Days

Stephenie White overcame loss, incarceration and addiction on the way to better times. Now she’s giving back

by MICHAEL HINGSTON

Photography by COOPER + O’HARA

S

TEPHENIE WHITE TAKES A SIP OF her coffee and casually gestures out the window of the downtown cafe. “There’s a parkade over there I used to sleep in,” she says. Now 24, and one of the leading contributors to the Youth Action Project on Poverty, Stephenie leans over the table and cranes her neck. “Let’s see if we can see it.” Sure enough, there it is, as grey and unforgiving today as it was a decade ago.

According to the City of Edmonton, more than 100,000 people in Alberta’s capital live in poverty. One-third of them are children. That’s why this February, the Youth Action Project, organized by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, put forward a series of recommendations to the City, giving youth a chance to provide direct feedback into its longterm strategy to eliminate poverty.

For a long time, Stephenie was included in those numbers. Today, she’s an ambitious youth advocate and full-time student at MacEwan University. Much of her time is spent in meetings, volunteering or studying. But it wasn’t so long ago that her life looked very different.

From ages 14 to 16, Stephenie lived on the

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street. After a traumatic incident at her home, Stephenie got on the first bus she saw and vowed to get off as soon as she saw something she recognized. That place turned out to be Churchill Square. In the heart of downtown, Stephenie fell in with a group of kids who taught her the ropes: how to navigate the shelter system, how to get socks and toothbrushes, how to sleep in shifts so that someone was always watching your back. It was a hustle, but she found ways of getting by.

That all changed once she turned to drugs.

“When I first started using crystal meth,” Stephenie says, “I didn’t have to worry about where I was going to sleep, because I wasn’t tired anymore, or what I was going to eat, because I wasn’t hungry. All I had to worry about was how I was going to get high.”

Still, things were not easy. To escape the harsh winter weather, sometimes Stephenie would commit a crime, just so she could warm up in jail.

She broke into apartment buildings and vehicles.

Once, she and some friends stole a car and drove it all the way to Winnipeg before getting caught, arrested and sent back to Alberta.

Then, at 16, Stephenie got pregnant. She had a daughter and, two years later, a son. By this

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time Stephenie was technically off the street, thanks to multiple sources of support, including Edmonton’s Food Bank, the Bissell Centre, the Boyle McCauley Health Centre, which are all funded by United Way. But she had ongoing issues with both of her children’s fathers.

A blowout came after her son’s dad returned from a fourday binge and immediately began to criticize her. The two of them started fighting and yelling, and the police got called. Children’s Services was soon to follow.

That was the moment everything seemed to go wrong.

“I lost my place because I couldn’t afford rent, and then I lost my kids, and my boyfriend went to jail, and I was like, ‘What the hell?’” Stephenie remembers. “I started using again.”

For the next seven months, Stephenie fell back to her old ways of dealing with her problems. Her drug use returned, with a vengeance – this time she was ingesting crystal meth directly, which led to bouts of paranoia and severe memory loss. She started hanging around with gangs while also logging time in multiple jails, this time as an adult offender.

When Stephenie tried to get sober on her own so that she could get accepted into treatment, a chance invitation Maigan van der Giessen first met Stephenie in 2012, when they volunteered to get a drink with a friend derailed things once again. to help build a float for the upcoming K-Days parade. The theme for the float That time, Stephenie ended up on a drug and alcohol was “Hip Hop Isn’t Dead,” and the two slowly opened up to one another as they bender lasting two full days, during which she assaulted constructed a huge skeleton out of cardboard, papier-mâché and stacks of old someone so badly that they nearly died. She went back records. For her part, Maigan, who was then a mentor at iHuman, was struck to jail – but this time something was different. Staff at

by Stephenie right away. the non-profit iHuman Youth Society, who had seen “She’s not afraid to call you out on stuff,” Maigan says. “She’s very honest, and Stephenie’s initial commitment to getting sober, decided really wants the truth. She wants people to do the right thing. Even if she loves to advocate for her to get out of jail and into treatment, and respects you, she will still hold you to that high standard.” where she belonged. It worked. Stephenie promptly At the same time, Stephenie began to get involved in anti-poverty work completed two treatment through a friend, who had started doing programs, back to back. public-speaking events about a recent crossWhen I started using crystal meth, Now out of treatment, country bicycle trip he’d taken. The friend I didn’t have to worry about where to Stephenie had to relearn asked Stephenie if she wanted to do any public much of what it takes to live speaking of her own. She did. But she wasn’t sleep because I wasn’t tired. a normal life. That meant sure what she had to talk about. “So I started – Stephenie White re-enrolling in school, speaking about my experiences with poverty reconnecting with her Métis and addiction.” heritage and, most of all, doing volunteer work with One such talk, for example, was at the 2015 Mac & Cheese luncheon, an some of the organizations that had helped her at her annual event facilitated by United Way with proceeds going to the Inner City lowest. One of the first places Stephenie turned to was Agencies Foundation. While some audiences were shocked and surprised by her iHuman, where she volunteered with programs for stories, Stephenie was happy to clue them in. youth and young mothers and where she started to rap, So when van der Giessen started working for the John Humphrey Centre, using the alias Qneek, finding an outlet for her creative and was recruiting for the Youth Action Project (YAP) – a youth-led response energy through music. “I never had a way to express to, and collaboration with, the Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty – Stephenie’s myself, so that meant a lot to me,” she says. experiences put her at the top of the list. When the YAP visited agencies around

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Community Investment the city to learn what kind of services they provided, it turned out Stephenie had made use of every one of them.

“We can talk about poverty, but if we’re not being guided by the people who are impacted by it every day, then we’re really missing the point,” says Maigan. “We really need to make room for those who’ve experienced poverty to be in leadership roles when it comes to finding solutions to it.”

The Youth Action Project’s final recommendations to the city were built around four key concepts: justice, security, freedom and dignity. Each recommendation looks at a specific problem that affects youth living in poverty, and suggests concrete ways of addressing them. “Justice,” for instance, explains how bylaw tickets (for petty crimes like jaywalking or not having valid LRT fare) can quickly snowball into jail time, which places a burden on the criminal justice system and can also lead to a vicious cycle of poverty and incarceration for the user. Instead, the report recommends alternative repayment options and more flexible court dates.

Once Stephenie got involved in anti-poverty work, she took to it quickly. After visiting United Way-funded partner Boyle Street Community Services as part of the Youth Action Project, for instance, Stephenie was offered a job there. She continues to do public speaking, and now much of her time is spent in boardrooms and in meetings, trying to find ways to address poverty in Edmonton.

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She’s still working with YAP, too, on a new project about dignity, on a related art project, and especially as one of the subjects in a recent documentary that the John Humphrey Centre made about the initiative.

For that project, Stephenie got to interview Mayor Don Iveson. “He seems like he actually cares about poverty, and not just because it’s his job,” she says. And she even organized its premiere, at the Garneau Theatre, in August. And though she relinquished custody of her children and they have been adopted by other families, she sees them regularly.

On top of it all, Stephenie is now a full-time student at MacEwan University. She’s currently working on a bachelor of arts degree, but hopes to transfer into social work. She also makes a point of furthering her education by attending as many conferences and public lectures as she can. Her days are as busy as they’ve ever been, and she’s been sober for more than three years.

Back when she was on the street, Stephenie wanted to be a person with ambition, someone whose life had meaning.

Today, she’s doing everything she can to make sure things stay that way, for herself and for others like her.

“People that have never experienced poverty don’t understand the root causes,” she says. “It could be trauma, addictions or simply that somebody’s house burned down. There are much deeper levels to poverty than what people think.”

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A mapping initiative is generating information that’s giving some Alberta children a better start

Community Investment

A Road Map

by CAITLIN CRAWSHAW

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ICTURE IT: A NEW MOM, NEW TO EDMONTON, TAKES her small children to a nearby park. Feeling isolated and with no support system, she hopes she’ll be fortunate enough to meet some other moms. But when she climbs out of the bus with her children at the playground, she discovers a trash-filled park that has no little kids, just a bunch of teens, smoking and cursing loudly. She turns around to go home, her children disappointed. What looks on her neighbourhood map to be a valuable asset just isn’t one.

Mining the data provided by the five-year Early Childhood Development Mapping Initiative (ECMap) may further build on its already apparent success, identifying neighbourhoods that, despite the physical resources, do not provide a great base of support for families with small kids. A growing body of research shows that the most critical periods of brain development happen during a child’s first three years of life. During this time, how a child is nurtured can have a huge impact on how she thinks and feels about the world around her, and can even predict how well she fares later in life.

“It’s not just about having a village – it’s about having a village that’s knowledgeable and caring,” says Line Marie Perron, director of Early Childhood Development Support Services (ECDSS). Children need a wide range of positive experiences and mental stimulation during these early years in order to grow up happy and healthy. Those who don’t receive the nurturing they need can fall behind their peers and may begin school with weaker social skills or cognitive abilities. “Once children enter kindergarten, the trajectory they’re on becomes harder to change,” says Line, noting that it also requires more resources and time.

Given the difficulties with intervention later on, it makes more sense to get children on the right track early on. But for a long time, there wasn’t anything in the way of province-wide data to help researchers, educators and policy-makers understand how many children were hitting their milestones or what resources parents were lacking. This changed in 2009, when the provincial government initiated a project to gauge how well-prepared children were for kindergarten.

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ECMap was a five-year project and collaboration between many community groups, including United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, which invests heavily in children and youth. Line Marie, who leads an agency that empowers human services organizations, came on board as the community development and mobilization manager.

The project began with the implementation of an Early Development Instrument (EDI) to collect data that a 100-word questionnaire had generated. The multidisciplinary Offord Centre for Child Studies created the questionnaire for Alberta’s kindergarten teachers, and it looked at ways to improve the lives, health and development of children and youth. The survey measures five aspects of child development: physical health and well-being; social competence; emotional maturity; language and thinking skills; and communication and general knowledge.

Never before had this type of data been collected en masse in Alberta. But Line and the other ECMap contributors wanted to take the research further, to try and understand what could be done to give more children a leg up during their early years. After receiving 70,000 surveys from those kindergarten teachers, the ECMap team looked for information to explain why some children did better than others. They gathered socioeconomic data from the most recent Canadian census to compare against the survey results. They also began mapping out

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the resources available to parents in communities across a recommendation that’s already being honoured. Many of ECMap’s Alberta, mobilizing community members, from parents community coalitions have received bridge funding (until the end of 2015), and teachers, to librarians and political leaders, to help to continue identifying resources in their areas and educating parents about them. “It was really grassroots,” Line says. the early years.

Within about two and a half years, there were 250 early It’s good news for Shireen Mears, now the coalition assistant for the childhood development (ECD) coalitions participating Mill Woods Early Childhood Coalition. Her coalition includes many areas in the project. In addition to daycares, libraries and in Mill Woods and several surrounding Edmonton neighbourhoods – a playgrounds, the coalitions identified community centres, population nearly the size of Red Deer. Although she says her community churches, walking trails and much more: “We left it really has been active in childhood education for a long time, the ECMap open so that communities could tell us what was important project galvanized their efforts. “It’s really brought agencies together to them.” with a united vision,” she says. “It’s also After almost five heightened the community’s awareness of Because people are unlikely to come years spent meticulously the early years,” she adds, noting that her to formal events, the coalition goes to collecting and analyzing coalition creates community conversations information, ECMap with events like its “I Am a Parent” playgrounds, cafés and other gathering released a report of its workshop series. points to meet people face-to-face. findings in December 2014.

The work of Edmonton’s City Central The biggest takeaway, and Coalition is also continuing, to the relief of the subject of newspaper headlines, was that Alberta’s its chair, Bev Parks. As the executive director of the Norwood Child and preschoolers were less prepared for kindergarten than United Way funded Family Resource Centre, she’s concerned about the their counterparts across Canada. In Alberta, just over “hard-to-reach” families in her area, particularly those who are new to 29 per cent of children start school “experiencing great Canada and need more supports than they’re currently getting. Too many difficulty” in one or more of the five areas of development families are isolated because of factors like poverty, limited language skills the survey identified. This is higher than the Canadian and cultural barriers. “Trying to reach immigrant newcomers takes time,” average of 25 per cent. she says. “It isn’t something that happens quickly because you need to build The implications are larger than many people might relationships and have more than one conversation.” think. “We’re looking at a three to four per cent difference, Because people are unlikely to come to formal events, the coalition goes which is quite significant looking at the number of children to playgrounds, cafés and other gathering points to meet people facewe surveyed,” Line says. The kids who start school with to-face and educate them about what’s available in the area. They also learning deficits may not be able to catch up later. Research partner with the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and the shows that kids in this situation are less likely to graduate Multicultural Health Brokers (which helps overcome language and cultural from high school later on, and more likely to have social barriers to health care) to reach out to families. and emotional problems.

While ECMap has officially wrapped up, United Way continues to But the report also shows that there isn’t necessarily partner with the project coalitions on events in the community. “The a correlation between the socioeconomic status of project aligned perfectly with the work we’ve been doing on the early communities and how well children are doing. This is also years, in terms of mobilizing the community,” says Mary Stewart, interim the case when it comes to the number of family resources director of community building and investment (children and youth) for in communities. More isn’t always better. This is why United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. the stakeholders want to analyze the findings further, to United Way also uses ECMap data to invest in programming devised separate resources from actual assets. While a park may be by partner agencies. “The beauty of this was that we found pockets in listed as a resource, it’s not an asset if the swings are broken communities with high vulnerability where children weren’t doing well, but and the park is not well-kept. also pockets where children were doing very well. This data gave us the big The report also makes a number of recommendations. picture.” The information helps United Way work with partners to know At the top of the list: continuing to monitor how young where to direct investments. children are doing. “What gets counted, counts,” says But for Mary, ECMap’s legacy isn’t about the numbers. “I think it was a Line, paraphrasing a statistician’s favourite saying. The catalyst for action in the community,” she says. While there were already report also encourages government to continue involving strong childhood-education groups, the project brought them together in a communities in research around early childhood education, big way. “The information and connections will last.”

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Community Investment

SHARING THE WEALTH: Harriet Tinka and her partner Steve Davis have chosen to donate to United Way by giving small, but regular amounts.

The Value in Giving

by NADIA MOHARIB

Meet some Capital Region residents who see power in the action of giving back – from volunteering time to making donations

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CHARITABLE COUPLE: Phalyn and Remi Chenard say they have been long-time United Way donors because it’s an investment in the community.

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spending habits. From clothes never worn and banished to the back of her closet to designer coffees, she knew there was a better way for her to spend her cash. So she sat down to reconsider her priorities.

“I did my budget, of course, before donating,” the self-described bean counter with the City of Edmonton says. Like more than 35,000 people in the Capital Region last year, Harriet chooses to share the wealth as a donor to United Way. She earmarked a perday amount and signed up for payroll deductions, which she says she really doesn’t notice.

It’s a family affair for the mother of three who, along with her partner Steve Davis, has long been a contributor to various causes supported by the organization. But the impact is large. “The small amount of money we donate really makes a big difference,” Harriet says. As a cabinet member and senior volunteer with United Way of the Alberta Capital Region’s 2015 campaign, she’s in a position to know.

Like hundreds of people – who provided a combined 2,462 community volunteer hours between September and December 2014 – Harriet donates her time as well as her dollars.

Community Investment

ARRIET TINKA TOOK AN INVENTORY OF HER

Hundreds of people have provided a combined 2,462 community volunteer hours between September and December 2014.

For more than a decade, she has been a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BGCBigs) and beams when she talks about small successes on that front. Her Little Sister is a sensitive Grade 5 student who lives in a small apartment with two siblings and her parents who work two and three jobs. “There are days when she doesn’t have breakfast,” Harriet says. “She gets her lunch through the E4C School Lunch Program, a community-funded partner of United Way.” The family of her Little Sister at Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brother Big Sisters of Edmonton is not the only beneficiary of Harriet’s time. “I come back to work so empowered,” Harriet says. “She teaches me how to be patient and appreciate what I already have.”

Harriet describes her work as “deadlines and budgets” and says her volunteer time invigorates her.

“In one hour, I’ve made a difference to a child, and I am ready for the next challenge!”

While Harriet’s partner, Steve, sees it as his moral responsibility to help people experiencing poverty, he says those who aren’t involved as donors or volunteers ought to reconsider. “I think they are really missing out on the satisfaction they get from knowing

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they helped people; it’s a pretty special feeling,” says Steve, a Suncor supply chain manager.

Steve has been donating to United Way for more than three decades, and currently gives through a payroll deduction to the organization.

He doesn’t like to make a fuss about his donation but he’ll admit to it being “pretty cool” to have recently qualified for the Red Feather Society. The society is for people who have been donating for 25-plus years, a significant milestone. Steve volunteers on the community investment committee, which oversees how money is spent by agencies garnering United Way dollars. He says it gives a special insight into how the organization supports people.

“The people who volunteer their time or make it a career, those are the real heroes, the people who really make the difference,” he says.

“What I do is just help them to keep doing what they are doing.”

Steve pauses, reflecting for a moment. “I wish that everybody had the opportunity to meet the people that work for member agencies and the people they serve, ” he says. “Is that $65 so important to me that I need it more than other people? It’s just so minor. People spend that on coffee every week or two.”

IT WAS A BIG CHANGE FOR REMI CHENARD AND HIS WIFE, Phalyn, when they moved from Fort McMurray to Edmonton in 2012.

“It took me a while to find my feet,” 26-year-old Phalyn says. Fortunately, both were familiar with United Way and were seasoned volunteers, despite their relative youth. And the act of volunteering for United Way in Edmonton was “like joining one of the biggest networks around,” says Phalyn. She also volunteered with the Junior League of Edmonton, where training women leaders proved to be a perfect fit. “Becoming involved in non-profits,” she says, “that was the turning point where I started to love Edmonton.”

Her husband Remi, 30, has made small contributions to United Way for about a decade. Giving to charity began when he was fresh out of school, at a time when he was also supporting the local Scouts chapter.

“It was just a little support here and there,” says Remi of his start in community investment. “It felt like the right thing to do.” He concedes giving was initially more out of obligation than anything else, but in recent years charitable investments have become a passion for him and Phalyn, who are both involved in United Way donor campaigns. Now, he gives to United Way through payroll deductions.

He’s generous with his time, too. Remi is now a United Way account executive – a volunteer who helps people engage with the agency. He was chair of last year’s Stantec United Way workplace campaign, where he honed his public speaking skills. A supervisor of construction co-ordinators at Stantec, he has put in more than a decade of work in construction management, and serves on other community-building initiatives outside the auspices of United Way. “We don’t just donate to United Way; we also get back the professional development and networking. It’s an investment in the

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community and also in ourselves,” says Remi. “For me and Phalyn, it’s an opportunity to do things you don’t get to do in your regular job.” His volunteerism also allows him to take a leadership role outside of work. “It allows me to help my community, he says, “and I benefit, too.”

Phalyn agrees. Embarking on a career in real estate, she is now the Junior League fund development director, and she recently sat on the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards committee. “Ultimately, I’m still working a full-time job, but what I do in my spare time doesn’t seem like work. It becomes a bit of an addiction.”

Remi says giving comes in many forms – all valuable.

“With the baby boomers, charitable giving was like this: you wrote a cheque because you could and it was the right thing to do and you didn’t look for many thanks,” he says. “That’s the way the generation was brought up.” He points out that younger people will more often want to donate time, and that both kinds of donation have value.

When it comes to getting involved, Phalyn suggests rookies simply take the plunge. “First and foremost, find out what your passion is, or an aspect of the community you want to support. There are something like 8,000 non-profits in Edmonton alone,” she says. “Every organization has a volunteer opportunity for you.”

2014 DONATIONS TO UNITED WAY • 6,912 people were first-time donors, for combined giving of $1,529,237.

• 752 Every Day Heroes donated $365 during the year, contributing $274,495.

• 3,082 Leaders gave more than $1,200 during the year, adding up to $8,101,095.

• 414 donors made contributions online.

DOUBLE THE IMPACT An anonymous gift to United Way has launched a two-year program aimed at inspiring others to give more. Open to existing and new major donors. Funds are earmarked for early childhood development, ensuring children succeed in school and helping people build job skills and take advantage of employment opportunities.

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Community Investment

The

Whole Kit and Caboodle Age-appropriate toys give parents everyday opportunities for play and healthy interaction with their children

by SHELLEY WILLIAMSON Illustration by LISA REBNORD

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E

VELYN SARPONG KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE LITTLE ones who could benefit from quality tools for play and learning but not to have the resources to buy them.

The mom to five-year-old Jeffrey, four-year-old Aaron and 18-month-old Elsie first learned of “Kid Kits” in the hospital after the birth of her eldest. “It was so good for me because at that time I didn’t have money to buy those kinds of things. It helped me a lot,” Evelyn says. Five different kits were provided as part of a home visiting program to coincide with different stages of child development. The package included useful items such as pocket-sized books, small puzzles and toys.

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It was a worker from the Norwood Child and Family PAST KIT USERS COULD NOT BE MORE DELIGHTED AT Resource Centre who approached Evelyn to see if she and their resurgence. Bev Parks, executive director of Norwood Child and her son might benefit from the kits, which are provided Family Resources Centre, recalls a history of dispensing – and even free of charge and designed to help parents engage in assembling – the kits. “We had huge boxes of stuff and it was like an healthy and age-appropriate interactions with their young assembly line in the basement of Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society. children. Evelyn received them again with Aaron and is There were five kits in all, and so each had to be stuffed differently. happy to hear the kits are coming back after a considerable She knew how great the impact was, and that it was worth their time absence, just in time for her little Elsie. and energy.

Mary Stewart, interim director, community building The benefits of the kits as a teaching aid are not lost on Bev, who and investment – children and youth at United Way of the has been connecting with families through Norwood for 17 years.

Alberta Capital Region, says the Kid Kits program began “They were more for the moms, to help them understand their child’s in 2000 and developed into highly successful tools for development. Moms loved it. They just thought it was great – to feel families over the next seven years. Over the kits’ tenure, special and to feel acknowledged. And then recognizing the importance until being phased out in 2007 due to a lack of funding, of their child’s development; it was like a gift.” she estimates hundreds, if not thousands, were put into Linda Orosco, manager of the Healthy Families Program at the the hands of Edmonton Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, parents and youngsters says her agency, a not-for-profit that Kid Kits were more for the moms, through a handful of works with families in the Edmonton agencies. “One of our area but especially the aboriginal to help them understand their child’s primary desired results community, also recalls delivering the development. Moms loved it. through the education helpful tools to her clientele as a home – Bev Parks, executive director of Norwood Child and Family Resources Centre pillar is to increase access visitor. “It’s just so far-reaching. I am to quality early childhood looking forward to taking them out development opportunities again to the families. The nice thing about for children from birth to age three. In building that the Kid Kits is we get to leave them with them. We get to see both the parent-child relationship, we need to go where parents moms’ and the kids’ eyes light up. There are some parents who really are – at home,” explains Mary. A request from community never had those opportunities as children.” She adds that she enjoyed partners prompted a move to reintroduce the play-based not only watching families go through the kits together but also learning tools, which will be distributed as early as this knowing there would be a return visit, with another kit to share, just a fall, thanks to funding through the Alberta Government’s few months later.

Human Services branch.

Originally distributed in a joint effort between United Way’s Success Following staff training, 5,000 of the kits will be disby 6 program, Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre, Ben tributed across the province through identified networks.

Calf Robe Society, the Elizabeth Fry Society, the Bissell Centre and “The plan is to link with existing home visitation programs Multicultural Health Brokers in Edmonton, it’s not yet determined and existing community resources, such as Parent Link who will team up to disperse the next generation of Kid Kits. (They Centres,” Mary says. “We are also looking at a one-day were created by collaboration of the Centre for Family Literacy, Capital training session in the fall that builds skills that the early Health and Success by 6.) One thing is for certain: past experience and childhood professionals already have. We are also trying to knowledge gains in the field of early child development will make the make them a little more culturally sensitive and up-tokits even more helpful. date.” Like the originals, the new iteration of kits will be “There is so much research out there that is saying that those early dispersed based on need and are customized for different years, especially prior to age three, are so important. We forget that,” age and development periods: birth to six months, seven to Bev says. “You have to be paying attention to the development of 12 months, 12 to 18 months, 18 months to three years, and that human brain, because of the neuropathways, and if we are not age four to five. Each package will include cards showing providing that stimulation during the early years, that’s when it creates parents about healthy development, age-appropriate activissues with literacy later on. If we can get in there at the early stages, ities to do with children to stimulate development, as well kids are going to be more prepared and ready for school.” as a book and a play item to facilitate learning.

That’s good news for moms like Evelyn.

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Community Investment

BEST TOYS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES

BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS • Board books with bold patterns and bright colours • Pictures of faces • An unbreakable mirror • Rattles and squeaky toys • Soft toys with multiple textures and fabrics • Songs and rhymes

SEVEN TO 12 MONTHS • Blocks with rounded corners; stacking toys • Books to “read” with parents • Board books with textured surfaces • Soft fabric/textured balls • Toys that match shaped blocks to holes • Songs and rhymes

12 TO 18 MONTHS • Books to “read” with parents • Balls • Toys that match shaped blocks to holes • Songs and rhymes • Pail and shovel for the house, beach and bath • Household items such as a wooden spoon and some plastic cups to drum • Stacking toys; blocks • Four-piece puzzles

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18 MONTHS TO THREE YEARS • Books to read with parents • Balls • Action songs and rhymes • Pail and shovel for the house, beach and bath • Stacking toys, nesting toys; blocks • Simple puzzles • Toy instruments, trains or trucks • Crayons and paper • Dolls, figurines, action figures

FOUR TO FIVE YEARS • Dress-up clothes • Books to read with parents • Balls, bats, kiddie racquets • Action songs and rhymes • Pail and shovel for the house, beach and bath • Stacking toys, nesting toys; blocks • Puzzles; matching games; memory games • Art supplies • Dolls, figurines, action figures

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MUSIC MAN: Bill LeBlanc’s winning hip hop song comes from the heart and is based on his experiences growing up in poverty in Edmonton.

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HIS VOICE

Bill LeBlanc, known as Rellik, called on experience to create a hip hop tribute to darker days for a United Way song contest

by LYNDSIE BOURGON

Photography by PEDERSEN

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T WAS THREE DAYS BEFORE A LOOMING submission deadline and Bill LeBlanc, who performs under the name Rellik, had nothing prepared. All he knew was the My United Way Voice contest seemed like the perfect outlet to tell a story that’s close to his heart. So he wrangled up a crew of trusted producers and writers to help him perfect a last-minute song for the contest – a dark piece, one that ties together so many of the factors that lead to poverty (including mental health challenges and addiction).

Bill grew up with his siblings and single mother in Edmonton’s northeast Beverly and Cromdale districts. His was a tough upbringing – although he always had a roof over his head. “A lot of times that was all we had,” he says. At times, his family lived without enough food, without power and without a phone. “We overcame it – it wasn’t my mom’s fault; it was just the circumstances.”

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Bill got into hip hop young, writing his first raps when he was UNITED WAY STARTED USING MUSIC VIDEOS FOR ITS only 12 years old. “I saw a lot of struggle amongst friends and campaign four years ago, when it worked with local artists to family,” he says. “I was witness to some of the underlying issues of produce music, including the popular “Change Starts Here” poverty – stress, mental health, addiction, abuse and residential with Edmonton studio PlanIt Sound. The My United Way schools.” By the time he was done high Voice contest arose from the school, “Rellik” had been born and music mentorship practice Although Rellik always had a roof over his was making strides – he performed last year. It was conceived at at the 1999 Pan American Games in first to provide an outlet for head, ‘a lot of times that was all we had,’ Winnipeg and at the games again this artists to share their voices in he says. Rellik now sits on the City of year in Toronto – and opened for bigthe fight against poverty. “We Edmonton’s Task Force to End Poverty. name acts including Run DMC and believe there is a deep pool of Maestro Fresh Wes. talent in the region, people When it came time to write his subwho care about our commumission for United Way, Rellik (now a father of four with a day job nity and the cause of fighting poverty,” says Mike Kluttig, in addition to his music career) wrote an a capella piece, sending vice-president of community engagement at United Way of it overnight to his partner, Plex, in Toronto for review. By the next the Alberta Capital Region. morning, the song had come back to him produced and layered “We’ve worked over the years on songs related to poverty with rich background tracks. All that was left was the video, which and the supports that people can get, and the lives that are he filmed while standing outside the Mustard Seed Church in Edchanged,” says Mike. “The power of music had an incredible monton’s inner city. effect on our supporters and community. We had more web When it was done, Rellik packaged the submission and sent it in hits on the ‘Change Starts Here’ video than any others in the to United Way. Then he waited. previous campaigns.”

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It was RJ Cui, the CEO of PlanIt Sound, who later had the idea to turn the song production into an annual contest that’s open to the community. So in 2014, United Way ran a contest and asked interested people to submit music videos based on their own stories and opinions – the songs could be either originals or covers. The winner would receive a recorded demo of their song and an opportunity to perform live at United Way’s annual Red Tie Gala.

“We were hoping that we’d get at least 10 submissions, but we ended up with 37,” says Mike. “Then we narrowed it down to a top five.” The criteria: Did the song connect with the cause? Did the performer have a compelling stage presence?

Did the lyrics to the song speak to the challenges of poverty and the inspiration necessary to solve it?

IN THE CASE OF RELLIK, IT WAS A RESOUNDING YES. “He has some lived experience and that came through in his work and performance,” notes Mike. “He brought that intensity to the story that he told.”

That’s what Rellik had been going for. “I wanted to have an impact on the average person, rather than just sweeping the issue under the rug, which is how I feel it’s dealt with sometimes,” he says. “I chose to use words that are emotional, to try and make an impact.”

He did that through astute lyrics that point out hypocrisy and apathy in how society often treats the downtrodden.

“Before you’re quick to blame, here’s a story, ask their name,” he implores in the song. Later on he insists: “We all bleed the same colour, red.”

Rellik knew he had hit the right nerve when Facebook messages started pouring in from people who had lived in poverty. “They were saying things like the song had brought tears to their eyes,” he says. “That’s what I intended to do – to make an emotional impact on people. To help everyone realize that the poor are not just bums, that they have feelings and may come from a rough past.”

After his win, Rellik headed into the studio to work with RJ, who says the process of producing the single was easy: “With an artist like that, who understands his style, knows who he is as an artist and knows what he wants to talk about, is honest in his lyrics ... some of the best projects happen when they’re the easiest.”

RJ first met Rellik more than a decade ago through the city’s small hip hop community. “I was in a group myself and he was a bit older and produced one of the first songs we recorded,” says RJ. All this time later, he says it’s been great to see his friend succeed. “It was just amazing to see an artist like Rellik, who has been in the game and working hard,

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finding success and also being really passionately connected to the topic of poverty,” he says.

The whole process included tips on marketing, a stylist and wardrobe assistance, help mapping out a live performance and the final product – a fully-produced single for Rellik.

At United Way’s Red Tie Gala, the second and third place winners also performed an acoustic version of their pieces.

Rellik says the event “was overwhelming a bit. I got to play for the mayor and got a standing ovation in front of Edmonton dignitaries.” They were not the only fans; the song is now perched near the top of the Aboriginal music charts. Rellik left the project hoping the momentum would build – and he now sits on the City of Edmonton Task Force to End Poverty.

“We were just blown away by the quality of artistry,” adds RJ. “I think why this contest resonates so well in the community is that it’s not just another talent contest. It’s one of a kind – it’s meaningful, connected to being a voice against poverty.”

LISTEN To watch the video of Rellik’s compelling song, “My Voice,” and find out more about the upcoming My United Way Voice contest launching this fall, head to myunitedwayvoice.ca.

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TAKING

A STAND Edmonton’s WE Stand brings together local youth to inspire change

by LISA CATTERALL

M

ARIA STAWNICHY YAWNED AS SHE SAT down with her friends on the yellow school bus departing St. Joseph High School. She had been awake at a sleepover with one of her best friends for most of the previous night, giggling and whispering with anticipation for the next day’s activities. Despite her fatigue, she was excited. In fact, there was a general enthusiastic buzz in the air. The students were going to the first-ever WE Stand conference, an event designed to develop youth leadership skills and promote involvement with not-for-profits in Edmonton and beyond.

When the bus pulled up to the Edmonton EXPO Centre and the doors opened, Maria and her friends poured out into a river of more than 1,400 other students entering the event. It flowed into the hall where students would spend the next six hours learning how to improve leadership skills on personal, local and global levels. Maria glanced around the room, thrilled to see the number of like-minded students around her. On the stage, a large timer was counting down the minutes until the conference kickoff. Her efforts to educate other students about social injustice over the last year had built to this moment – she wanted to make an impact, and today she’d learn how.

WE STAND EVENT FOUNDERS CARLA CUGLIETTA AND TYLER WAYE have dedicated their professional lives to creating chances

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for young people to change the world. As a teacher with the Edmonton Catholic School Board, Carla spends each day working with children to develop their potential. Tyler’s passion has allowed him to become an early career strategist and leadership expert who has written a book on the changing roles of education and leadership in the lives of young people.

Last fall, Carla and Tyler – also a husband-and-wife team – began talking about bringing a new youth leadership initiative to Edmonton. They wanted to create an innovative event to inspire teens in Grades 9 to 12 to lead change in their communities. They approached Sheldon Smart for his help.

Sheldon is a campaign manager at United Way of the Alberta Capital Region with whom Tyler had previously worked on events. With his background in major event management, Sheldon saw the opportunity to connect with a new audience and further United Way’s mission to eliminate poverty in the city.

After Sheldon became involved, the trio founded the WE Stand conference. Co-chairs for the event, they dedicated countless hours over the next six months to bring the conference to life. On April 22, at the Edmonton EXPO Centre, WE Stand’s inaugural year saw more than 1,400 students listening to keynote presentations about self-improvement, community involvement and global citizenship. Attendees had been identified as leaders by peer groups and teachers, and came together with the common goal of improving their leadership on personal, local and global levels.

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Maria had already worked with a group of her friends to increase awareness of social justice when she was given the opportunity to attend WE Stand and take her leadership to the next level.

“A lot of times people who are into leadership and social justice activities feel like it’s not cool to like those things,” Maria says. “It’s nice to see that it had such a strong following in the city.”

Carla agrees, and says the desire to encourage youth to follow their own leadership paths, rather than worry about what they thought they had to do, was one of the motivations behind creating the conference.

“We want kids not just to help out of a sense of duty,” Carla says, “but to use their own leadership abilities to make changes.”

In the past, Carla and Tyler had organized an annual event for students at the Edmonton Catholic School Board to raise funds for charitable causes, such as clean water initiatives in Africa and India. They wanted to work with Sheldon and United Way to create a bigger, locally focused event. Along the way, the three realized that by harnessing their own strengths, they could encourage youth to re-examine their roles in the community, and to understand the steps they could take to fight poverty at home in Edmonton.

“We wanted youth to see their own personal impact.

We also wanted them to understand that you don’t need to go across the world – that you can change lives here in Edmonton,” Sheldon says. “You just need a place to start.

We wanted to give them that place to start.”

The event instigates positive change by empowering

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young people to lead based on their interests, their strengths and the needs of the community. Students spent the day learning about leadership possibilities, and were able to engage with keynote speakers, organizers and volunteer groups.

The first keynote of the day, Order of Canada winner Craig Kielburger, spoke to the group about leading change. Since the age of 12, Craig has advocated for children’s rights around the world. Now in his 30s, he presented his story in a relatable, realistic way.

Following Craig, Tyler spoke to students about personal change. As an expert in leadership, Tyler has made it his mission to improve the lives of young people by focusing on their strengths and desires, and therefore their own personal successes.

“At the end of the day you face one choice – are you going to lead or are you going to let life lead you? We wanted to let the responsibility rest with students, let them make their choice,” says Tyler.

Later in the day, Edmonton’s Sarah Chan, an educator and social activist who is married to Mayor Don Iveson, spoke about ending poverty in a generation and her belief that it can be done. “She told us, ‘It needs to start with you right now if it’s going to happen,’ ” Maria says.

Even lunch was a lesson. Servings were based on the diets of societies around the world and some were just basically white rice. But Sarah reminded the crowd that they didn’t need to go overseas to find poverty.

“WE Stand is something that resonated with a lot of people,” Maria says.

“People are interested in going abroad to do good things but it’s important to remember that we have people facing similar issues right in front of us, and we can’t forget about them.”

The opportunity to question their notions of poverty allowed students to understand it better. By inviting representatives from United Way funded partners active in the Alberta Capital Region, the co-chairs aimed to make it as easy as possible for students to connect with groups making a difference locally.

“We wanted to present them with as many options as possible, to let them know that there is no one right path,” Tyler says. “It’s about choosing a path.” He hopes that students will recognize the individuality of leadership and philanthropy. “We are kicking around some pretty exciting ideas,” he says. “There’s an opportunity for us to start bringing students up to explore their own leadership.”

The event’s keynote speakers, non-profit organizations and volunteers all had one thing in common – a focus on the greater good. Carla, Sheldon and Tyler hope that focusing on this end goal, while leaving the means up to the students, will motivate change and encourage involvement. The trio is especially appreciative of the value in having the next generation to capitalize on the momentum they started.

“This was an easy event to conceive – it was great. We’d like to have this act as the catalyst to engage kids in leading something of their own,” Sheldon says. The goal is straightforward: that the conference will continue to evolve, and as it does it will encourage younger generations to continue striving to better themselves, their communities and their world.”

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MEASURING SUCCESS:

KEEPING SCORE WEMAGAZINE.CA

1

The early years

2

Success in school

3

Managing finances

4

Employment

5

Mental health

by LANI LUPUL

United Way’s Impact Scorecard is its promise to donors to measure success and report back to the community

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OVERTY IS NOT SOLVED IN THREE YEARS. And even an organization like United Way, now almost 75 years old, needs to review how things have always been done, and test the opportunity for change.

To put this into perspective, there are 120,000 people in the Alberta Capital Region living in poverty; 40,000 of them children.

Rachel Notley’s new NDP government has pledged to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour, which puts it closer to the $17 per hour the Edmonton Social Planning Council says it takes to get by in In June 2013, after launching Pathways Out of Alberta. It’s a step in the right direction, but poverty is about more Poverty, United Way promised the public it would rethan earning the bare minimum. Poverty also decreases people’s turn the following year with an Impact Scorecard – a ability to access medical services, increases crime rates and lowers strategic plan revealing how the organization intendpeople’s education levels and employment. ed to create pathways out of poverty for those living in For Danisha Bhaloo, it was the wisdom of a hard-working mother the Alberta Capital Region. In September 2014, the and access to the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program that made organization made good on its promise and delivered all the difference for her pathway out of poverty. When Danisha’s a three-year scorecard. father died of a heart attack at the age of 40, Danisha’s mom was “The only reason we raise money is because we’re left to care for their two daughters on her own. trying to help people, trying to accomplish change “My mom had the incredible foresight to enrol my sister and me for people at the end of the day,” says Allan Undheim, with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton. She knew, working 16 to vice-president of community building and investment 17 hours a day, that she wouldn’t be able to be there and take us out for United Way. and explore and have fun, as kids should,” Danisha says. “I received After engaging funded partners and donor groups, a call from my caseworker when I was 16 years old telling me she United Way landed on three focus areas, 12 desired had nominated me for a scholarship and I had received it. For someresults and 35 strategies. It wouldn’t be feasible to one to tell me that I had my post-secondary education paid for, and focus on all 35 at once, so the team asked, “Which five on top of that, I could work in any not-for-profit of my choice every do we need to focus on right now?” That question led summer until I graduated, rendered me speechless.” to five the Scorecard would target: The Early Years, Danisha went on to receive a degree in criminology from the Success in School, University of Alberta, and a graduManaging Finances, ate diploma from McGill University.

The scorecard represents a bold approach Employment, and She returned to Edmonton in 2013, to taking our work beyond managing the Mental Health. All when she was offered her dream five strategies, upon job, with Boys and Girls Clubs Big symptoms of poverty, and moving toward research and considBrothers Big Sisters of Edmonton actually eliminating it. eration, play a key and Area, as their manager of fund – Mike Kluttig role in reducing and development. “It’s startling to me alleviating poverty. that 40,000 children live in poverty “It’s the first time we’ve really concentrated on how in our region. Visually, that’s Rexall Place filled to capacity twoall of our investment is supporting one specific issue – and-a-half times over. You are not just a donor. You’re making an poverty. It’s a new thing for us and there’s no other investment. You’re showing that you believe in that child, in a child United Way in the country that does this,” Allan says. like me. That’s the greatest gift you can give another person.”

The Impact Scorecard shifted the thinking from The cultural shift that looks deeper into the lives of people like the simple, yet powerful act of raising money for a Danisha has even affected the internal operations of United Way. cause, to focusing on the people, first and foremost.

Historically, it used to be about raising money and then distributing By putting the impact first, United Way is better able it as needed. Now, those who raise money and those who invest it to look at the whole life rather than the symptoms are working together more closely, creating a much more unified those life choices, or circumstances, have created. “We organization. As the Impact Scorecard focuses on creating pathways don’t own poverty elimination. We’re just a part of it, out of poverty by improving the whole of one’s life, United Way has and we’re trying to work closely with other organizafound a cohesive message, both internally and externally. tions. We’ll get further trying to address the issue.”

An investment in the early years of a child, for example, has a

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clear connection to poverty reduction. Success in literacy in Grade 3 has a proven impact on whether or not that person will go on to graduate from high school.

“The first years of a life impact the success of a kid in school. They’re a few steps away from the immediate and overt connection to poverty,” Allan says.

Providing pathways out of poverty is not just about providing food or employment. These studies and testimonials show that pathways out of poverty involve a multitude of moving parts, such as investing in a family and ensuring they have all the things they need.

It will take at least a generation to eliminate poverty in our region. And some leaders, such as Mayor Don Iveson, help pave the way.

Mike Kluttig, vice-president of community engagement, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, leads his team in developing the campaign message and finding unique ways to educate the community.

“The scorecard represents a bold approach to taking our work beyond managing the symptoms

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of poverty, and moving toward actually eliminating it,” Mike says. “We live in a province built on hard work and we find that if we take on a bold audacious goal, people tend to rally around it. Now we’re seeing people gaining a greater interest in this issue.” While the scorecard currently covers five strategies, these were developed out of a roster of 35. “We will work on these over the long term,” Mike says. As United Way achieves the targets on the initial scorecard, it will introduce new targets to develop pathways out of poverty.

Mike says that success means that everyone is reaching their full potential; that all families have stability and financial independence; and that all youth graduate high school. “People would have all the supports to develop the right abilities and valuable skills for the job market,” he says. “We would see people who are struggling, get the help they need. And a stronger community all around. We will not just be lifting people out of poverty but helping prevent people from falling into it.”

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SPONSOR PROFILE

THE WHEEL DEAL: Fountain Tire stores and their associates have long supported United Way, through fundraising initiatives like a balloon pop, left, and an associate barbecue, above.

COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITIES Fountain Tire cares for people in its operating areas as a dedicated partner to United Way

F

OUNDED IN WAINWRIGHT, ALBERTA BY BILL Fountain, Fountain Tire Limited has been dedicated to providing top-quality service to Canadians since the first of its stores opened in 1956.

And in the six decades since, the company has become equally well-known for caring for its customers and communities, never more evident than in the Fountain Tire Fundraising Committee’s work with United Way. “Fountain Tire supports United Way for many reasons, but mainly because it demonstrates the same commitment to the community we do,” says Pat Witiw, vice-president at Fountain Tire. Not only has Fountain Tire donated more than $500,000 in the last seven years to United Way, it has also held several events to benefit the charitable organization.

He says the biggest fundraising event Fountain Tire holds is its annual live auction. All proceeds from the pledge drive and the live auction are matched by Fountain Tire. Pat also explains that Fountain Tire hosts multiple “jean weeks” – where participants donate a little cash for the privilege of wearing denim to work – to raise awareness and money for United Way. These fundraisers coincide with events like K-Days and the Canadian Finals Rodeo.

“We are lucky to have found a corporate investor like Fountain Tire,” says Myrna Khan, vice-president of resource development for United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. “The company really understands our approach and the staff and management are confident that we will make a difference.”

Pat says the company opts to let United Way direct its own

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corporate gifts. “We think United Way is in the best position to identify where to invest our corporate donations,” he says. “They have the experience and knowledge of programming available, and know which ones need funding.”

The company is committed to have its associates directly involved with United Way programs, one in particular being the poverty simulations. “Each year a group of our employees attends United Way’s poverty simulations to raise awareness and empathy about the vicious cycle poverty creates,” Pat says. “It is a powerful experience that opens the eyes of everyone attending.” He says that it sends a strong message to Fountain Tire staff that its leadership team participates in these exercises. “It really encourages the rest of the staff to commit to being involved with United Way.” But it’s not just at the corporate level that Fountain Tire is helping. The individual stores are working to support United Way’s Tools for School program. “Fountain Tire’s Edmonton locations use their numerous vehicles to facilitate the transportation of the school supplies for United Way,” Pat says. Tools for School supports children in the school system by equipping them with the supplies they need to start the school year right.

Fountain Tire firmly believes in investing in the communities in which it serves. It supports United Way’s mission to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another. “It brings together the local community to identify needs and create solutions,” Pat says. “From prevention to crisis intervention, United Way helps individuals and families to address the underlying causes of poverty to create real solutions.”

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ONE DONATION. TWICE THE IMPACT. ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES...

Will You Make the Match?

Who is Eligible?

As part of a shared commitment toward ending poverty, United Way and Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) are working together to grow support for the cause.

All donors providing a gift in 2015 or 2016 within the leadership giving range of $1,200 – $9,999.

Thanks to $1 million in funding from ECF, a limited time Matched Leadership Donation Program has been launched. Throughout 2015 and 2016, United Way leadership donors could have their gifts matched, creating greater impact and more opportunities for local families and individuals struggling in poverty.

Matched funds will help achieve the five strategies and targets outlined in United Way’s Impact Scorecard, focused on:

As a New Leader – your donation of $1,200 or more will be matched, dollar for dollar.

As an Existing Leader – any increase to your current level of leadership giving will be matched, for example, if you previously gave $2,000 and choose to increase your gift to $3,000, the $1,000 difference will be matched.

early childhood development and ensuring children succeed through their school years;

To find out more about the Matched Leadership Donation Program, or becoming a leadership donor, please contact:

helping individuals and families improve money management skills and build valuable job skills; and

Laura Svajlenko 780 443 8346

increasing access to mental health services, so people get the help they need, when they need it.

This first-ever matched donation program will help change more lives through leadership giving than ever before!

In support of

MAKE TAX TIME PAY In a bold move, all of the Capital Region’s major banks are setting aside competition to team up and offer their expertise for the common good

by CHERYL MAHAFFY

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P

UT YOURSELF IN THE SHOES OF A SINGLE PARENT ON minimum wage, stretching every nickel to do the work of a quarter. You’ve just been paid; that’s the good news.

The bad news? You need to convert that paycheque to cash, pronto, because the rent is due today. You don’t have a bank account – and even if you did, the transaction wouldn’t clear in time. What’s more, there’s no bank within reach. You’re without a car, and using transit with your bundle of preschoolers would be an expensive, exhausting proposition. As in months past, you run next door to an instant cash store, leaving 20 per cent of your hardearned income behind for the simple act of cashing the cheque.

muster the person-power to respond when needs arise. By banding together, he thought, banks could help each other out and accomplish greater good. He was also seeking to engage staff of big banks such as his, who can feel removed from the causes chosen by far-off headquarters. And he hoped to enhance communication among banks and with other agencies already working on increasing financial literacy. “We’re talking about issues that are bigger than any particular financial institution,” Dean says. “It’s about trying A roomful of banking leaders put themselves in such shoes last October to do a better job in our community.” during a poverty simulation hosted by United Way of the Alberta Capital ReBy January 2015, Dean was chairing the first gion. Given identities such as “single parent” and “person with disabilities,” meeting of a fledgling force informally known as they role-played, engaging in daily tasks that illustrated the many obstacles the banking collaborative. Supporting him were a person living in poverty faces in a typical month. By the end of the evening senior staff at all nine major banks in the Capital the learning “moved from head to heart,” says Dean Holloway, regional Region: ATB; Bank of Montreal; Canadian vice-president of BMO, a prime mover behind the event.

Western Bank; CIBC; HSBC; Scotiabank; RBC; Case in point: Aaron Pragnell, commercial banking analyst with HSBC Servus Credit Union and TD Canada Trust.

Bank Canada. He took on the role of a parent unable to go to work because At a second meeting in March, Aaron Pragnell his child was home from school with lice and the family couldn’t afford a of HSBC, Leslie Natyshen of RBC, and Scott babysitter. As a result, he faced the Lundell of Servus Credit spectre of falling behind on rent Union stepped forward to A free tax preparation service, Make and perhaps losing his home. “It form a leadership trio. The Tax Time Pay began a decade ago out of was a great eye-opener,” he says. collaborative immediately concern that three-quarters of Edmonton’s “Such small events can have a began seeking a “quick snowball effect for people right on win” to build momentum. low-income households were not taking that edge.”

E4C’s Make Tax Time advantage of government supports.

Eighty people from nine banks Pay program proved the participated in the poverty simperfect fit. ulation that night. Kevin Fitzgerald, United Way’s director of corporate A free tax preparation service, Make Tax partnerships, remembers the energy in the room – and the growing sense Time Pay began a decade ago out of concern that that banks could (and should) band together to make life easier for people three-quarters of Edmonton’s low-income housestruggling to make ends meet. “These are companies that spend all of their holds were not taking advantage of government time competing with each other, and competing very fiercely,” he says. “But supports such as child health benefits – and that they acknowledged that when banks work together, they can have a real many were not filing income tax returns, a preimpact in improving financial literacy and removing barriers to banking for requisite to applying for many of those benefits. low-income people.”

In the 2014 tax season, 259 volunteers working That’s exactly what Dean hoped would happen. As he told the group that out of 26 sites helped low-income individuals and night, his own childhood included periods when his parents were unemfamilies “make tax time pay” by completing 4,225 ployed and hard-pressed to cover the costs of their expanding family. “I never returns that brought in $1.6 million in refunds really knew much about this growing up, but Dad filled me in because he and helped access 750 government benefits, subwanted me to be a better banker, somebody who helps in the community,” sidies and tax credits.

Dean says. “That’s the kind of banker I want to be.”

Some Make Tax Time Pay clients are able to As a member of the United Way Campaign Cabinet, Dean had seen banks catch up on back taxes, wiping out a nagging supporting community causes in many ways, but not together. From his worry. That was the case for one lonely veteran, own bank’s experience, he knew how difficult it can be for one institution to who told tales of military exploits in the Middle

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East as he received help with multiple years of tax returns.

For Leslie Natyshen, who manages RBC’s Northgate branch, this isn’t a He left feeling there were people who cared. Many see their first attempt to reach out to households on low income. Last fall, she pulled income rise by 20 per cent. “The payoff is immediate,” says a panel of experts from various banks together to alert low-income families E4C’s Teena Gill, who co-ordinates the program. “As soon of government dollars available to anyone opening a Registered Education as you tell a person what their refund will be, you can see Savings Plan (RESP). Co-sponsored by United Way, the City of Edmonton how much that means in their life.” and the Alberta Asset Building Collaborative, the event attracted very Each year, questions arise that beg financial expertise. few families. That experience highlighted the value of taking important How much money do I need to open a bank account? messages to places where people are already gathered, such as Make Tax What’s the difference between chequing and savings? If I Time Pay. have just a bit of money left after paying my bills, what’s the The collaborative holds promise to fill a gap in local efforts to help people best way to make it grow? Those are exactly the questions living in low income become more financially stable, says Karina Hurtado, the banking collaborative is equipped to answer.

United Way community investment specialist. She represents United Way Make Tax Time Pay was just one week away from the tax on the Alberta Asset Building Collaborative, whose 30 member agencies deadline by the time the collaborative was ready for action, work to build financial literacy and address barriers that keep people living but 20 bankers volunteered to help, providing a presence in poverty from accessing mainstream financial services. “One sector missat four sites. Rather than ing from this work was the financial sector. steering people to their Many times we’ve asked, ‘How do we bring We’re talking about issues that are own institutions, they ofbanks to be part of this?’ ” fered generic financial adMeeting for a third time in mid-June, the bigger than any particular vice that could be applied banking collaborative committed to seekfinancial institution. at any bank. Although ing more opportunities to offer financial – Dean Holloway some people were reticent expertise for the common good. It’s work about asking questions, that can help pull people out of a downthe bankers added a welcome dimension to the free service, ward spiral, says Aaron. “I’ve seen people in poverty and struggling, people Teena says. “Besides doing taxes, a big part of our aim is to who tugged on my heartstrings a bit, scenarios where you feel like there help people increase their financial literacy.” are not many options for a person. What we’re doing may help avoid some Members of the banking collaborative are already brainof those situations. It benefits the community – and in the end the banks storming with E4C about ways to work together during as well.” next year’s Make Tax Time Pay. With Canada Revenue One couple that visited Make Tax Time Pay had immigrated only Agency moving toward direct deposit of all tax refunds, months before. They were lucky enough to access the service early on, financial mentorship will be increasingly important, Teena and they credited the volunteers who helped them navigate their adopted predicts. “A lot of the people we serve don’t even have bank country’s tax system for confirming the wisdom of the move. “Slowly and accounts. That will be a unique challenge for us.” gradually,” the wife said, “we have actually started loving Canada.”

2014 BENEFITS OF MAKE TAX TIME PAY BENEFIT

NOW ELIGIBLE

CURRENTLY RECEIVING

PLANNING TO APPLY

Canada Child Tax Benefit

321 families

273 families

26 families

Leisure Access Pass, City of Edmonton

754 individuals/families

218 individuals/families

436 individuals/families

Alberta Child Care Subsidy

144 families

92 families

43 families

Alberta Child Health Benefit

204 families

127 families

46 families

Alberta Adult Health Benefit

106 individuals

49 individuals

23 individuals

Registered Disability Savings Plan

75 individuals

9 individuals

56 individuals

Registered Education Savings Plan

171 families

45 families

124 families

TOTAL

1,775

813

754

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Elaine Shannon and her husband Ron.

A Lasting Legacy:

Elaine’s Story I

t happened back in 1992. Elaine Shannon was volunteering for United Way and was asked to give a presentation to the management team where she worked. With little time to prepare, she didn’t have a chance to preview the video that United Way provided.

When Elaine pressed play she got a real shock — she instantly recognized the person in the video. It was someone she knew very well who had suffered a devastating loss and the video shared how United Way provided support to help with the grieving process.

“I started crying immediately. Everybody in the room was looking at me! I said, ‘I know her.’”

It was a moment Elaine will never forget. It was also the moment she decided to become more involved with United Way. “I said to myself, ‘If they can do this for her, they have me for as long as they need me.’”

Today, Elaine is a committed donor, passionate about contributing to initiatives that are close to her heart, especially helping children.

“Having raised a family here, it’s really important to me that all kids benefit from the advantages that the Alberta Capital Region has to offer. Every child should have the tools they need and be well-fed so they can go to school and study.”

Elaine is also concerned with ensuring her donations really make a difference.

“United Way is a really great steward of donor investments — but it’s more than fundraising, they are about action. They bring people together to make a difference.

I’m part of a movement that is saying, ‘let’s roll-up our sleeves and do something.’”

Elaine and her husband, Ron, have since changed their estate plans to include United Way in their wills. “I want my money to make a difference in the community where I live, work and raise my family. I had been asking myself ‘What more can we do?’ It was an easy decision for us.”

How To Leave Your Legacy There are several ways you can leave a gift in your will to United Way. •

Life Insurance Policy

•

Bequest

•

RRIF or RRSPs

•

Gift of Securities

•

Real Estate

For more information on how you can integrate United Way into your estate plans, contact Donna Roth, Senior Advisor, Community Investments.

780 443 8375 droth@myunitedway.ca ADVERTISEMENT

B USINESS WAY

Hand Up, Not Handout The City of Fort Saskatchewan added some muscle to Alberta’s Heartland Challenge, supporting United Way

by ERIN MCCARTY

A SUCCESSFUL 2014 FUNDRAISER has broadened into an annual challenge for local businesses and the City of Fort Saskatchewan. Participants in the Heartland Challenge, engage with and educate people about United Way’s goals to provide pathways out of poverty.

“Being part of the Heartland Challenge changed the way we looked at the United Way campaign and how it connects the community to the outcome of eliminating poverty,” says Wendy Kinsella, campaign chair for the City of Fort Saskatchewan.

Over one month, residents hold activities including donation drives, volunteer gigs and poverty simulations, in which participants spend time role-playing situations that people living in poverty face. “It’s an eye-opener and it dashes preconceived ideas about people struggling,” Wendy says. “Nobody’s looking for a handout – but they certainly need a hand up. That’s where United Way-funded partners come in.”

Members of the challenge are leaders in industry and have grown in ranks from seven last year to 11 this year, allowing for larger events and year-long initiatives. “These are not things a single organization could do,” she says. “We’re part of the community; it makes sense to tackle this together.”

And the Heartland Challenge team supports the Families First Society,

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renovating the society’s new home in the old RCMP detachment. The City of Fort Saskatchewan is leasing the building to the society for $1 per year.

“The Heartland Challenge team has agreed to provide volunteers to complete additional work such as painting, electrical and plumbing,” says the city’s mayor, Gale Katchur. She’s proud of the initiatives of the City of Fort Saskatchewan Council, including a local reduced fare transit service connecting to commuter transit service in Edmonton. She’s also an advocate for 211, a province-wide number to dial to connect to resources in a time of crisis.

“There’s a misconception that if you live in poverty, you’re homeless,” Gail says, “but it could be your neighbour. We need to acknowledge how important these social service agencies are.”

Agrium employee and Heartland area resident Vivian Tidsbury knows poverty well. While still in her 20s, the mother of four left an abusive marriage. While the physical abuse stopped, the emotional toll of poverty began. “I was penniless.

Assisted Living wouldn’t help me unless I had a physical address in my name. My family was helping, but I felt like I was causing them hardship and I considered returning to my husband.”

After three years of taking every free

course she could, she enrolled in a secretarial program and gained her first full-time job. It left no money after she’d paid for childcare, but she juggled additional parttime jobs to make ends meet.

“We’ve gone without many things but I can say my children have never gone without food or love,” Vivian says. “Each year got easier – maybe I learned to cope – but until my last child finished school it was a struggle. I met a single father of two and we combined our families. Two working adults still had to struggle to make ends meet; our children were never able to enroll in activities that cost money.”

Though her story began 25 years ago, it’s still fresh. In 2014, Vivian participated in five poverty simulations – an experience that she says brought back memories. “I found myself holding my breath, reliving desperation, hopelessness, panic and even embarrassment.”

Had she been aware of them, Vivian says she would have accessed services provided by United Way member agencies.

As a member of Agrium’s United Way committee, she’s a strong supporter and advocate of the organization’s proactive approach. “The cure for poverty,” she says, “is not only cash, but affordable housing, childcare, training as well as public transportation and education.”

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L EADING EDGE

Room to Grow Families First Society is looking forward to more space for its members and programs

by ALLISON BADGER

MICHELLE FARNSWORTH CAN’T say enough about the quality of support Fort Saskatchewan’s Families First Society has given her over the past three and a half years. Having her first child at 18, Michelle sought help from Families First and received diapers and formula for her growing baby.

With a new building on the way, Families First Society is growing, too. With a new facility, it has the opportunity to extend its influence in the community. Working to improve the lives of families, the organization is expanding with this new space to include more room for offices and programs. In a novel arrangement, the City of Fort Saskatchewan is leasing the municipal building to Families First after its current tenant, the local division of the RCMP, vacates the space.

This new space will also allow people to come for information and to connect with one another – important for new parents, Michelle explains. For Families First, the new building also means the opportunity to create private spaces for conversations and room to store diapers and infant formula donated by people in the community.

“I think a lot more people will use the services, individually and in groups,” Michelle says, explaining that the current space is a little on the crowded side.

Heather Boonstra, executive director of the non-profit Families First sees this as a real community building opportunity.

“This place will be so much more than just

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FAMILY FRIENDLY: A recent community carnival was just one Families First initiative raising money for its programs.

a building to us,” she says. “It’s a dream come true for us to have a gathering place for families that validates the critical role they play in our community.”

After the RCMP leaves the building and the city brings it up to code, the Heartland Challenge has offered to assist with the renovations. In support of United Way, the Heartland Challenge strives to make a difference in the community through efforts to end poverty. Heather explains that Families First is “extremely grateful to United Way’s Heartland Challenge Committee for believing that this project is the right one for them to get behind.” She is confident that, with this help, Families First will end up with a beautiful family hub that the community needs. “It sends our families the message that they are important,” she says.

“A successful Families First Society is the kind of organization you definitely want in your community, you want it to have all the resources it needs to run its

programs,” says Barry Bennett, the 2015 chair of the Heartland Challenge.

Barry is excited to begin renovations on Families First’s new building and describes this as a great local opportunity. “It’s all about connecting our employees to the needs we have in our community,” he says.

Plans are not fully defined for Families First’s renovations, but Barry suspects the Heartland Challenge will work on multiple projects within the building. Heather is hoping for renovations to start in October and for Families First to move by the end of December.

For her part, Michelle Farnsworth is looking forward to using the new facility for Families First’s community kitchen program, which allows parents to cook meals in bulk for their families. And on Thursdays, there’s a young parents program that helps them deal with the challenges of parenting. “I love Families First. I’d be so lost without them,” she says.

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MILESTONES

A Civil Service Edmonton Civic Employees’ Charitable Assistance Fund is the legacy of wartime community support efforts. It has grown into a culture of compassion

by MARTIN DOVER

FOR YEARS, A GROUP OF Edmonton residents has been quietly pledging a small percentage of their paycheques to aid fellow community members. United Way has been there to ensure their donations net the maximum impact. More than 11,000 Edmontonians contribute to the Edmonton Civic Employees’ Charitable Assistance Fund (ECECAF) through their membership in nine unions and associations, providing deep roots to giving in the region.

In 1941, the fund was established by six civil unions as the Civic Employees’ Welfare Chest Fund to support soldiers and their families during the Second World War. But the charitable work continued long past the war’s end, when the members voted to continue the fund. They renamed it and, as ECECAF, and added three more member groups.

Members support the ECECAF through payroll deductions each month, and 40 per cent of those contributions fund scholarships and special assistance for members and their families. But the ECECAF is managed so that the larger percentage of funds go to charitable organizations such as United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, explains Brenda Waluk, chair of the ECECAF. “We have been giving to United Way for more than 30 years,” Brenda says.

“We have supported a variety of initia-

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tives, but about four years ago started to really focus on the early childhood programs that United Way funds.” Brenda says that literacy is key, and that the E4C lunch program is important. “We felt that improving kids’ nutrition would improve their education,” she says. Future goals for the board include looking at ways to invest in mental health support programs for children and other Albertans.

Since its inception, the ECECAF has contributed more than $27 million to charitable organizations in the Edmonton region, more than $975,900 in 2012 alone. It has made over $12 million in donations to United Way, and a positive impact in the lives of residents.

Part of the impetus to continue the relationship is the fact that United Way has the expertise and partnerships that work at a local level. “We don’t necessarily have the time to find out in detail about every program running, and we appreciate that United Way has the perspective to do that,” Brenda says. “We have a passion for investing well in the community.”

After all, the 11,000 members who donate to the ECECAF are an important part of that community. They’re the people who sand the streets, power the homes and keep the neighbourhoods safe. They are the firefighters, medical workers and bus drivers that make a city work, and their contributions make Edmonton better.

STRONG SUPPORTERS The board of trustees that administers ECECAF includes one representative from each of the nine participating unions and associations. They allocate funds based on the ECECAF’s established criteria and guidelines. The membership consists of: • Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 569 • Alberta Health Services Community Care & Public Health, Association of Management and Non-Union Affiliates • Alberta Health Services, United Nurses of Alberta, Local 196 • City of Edmonton Management Association (C.E.M.A) • Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union, Local 829 • CUPE, Local 30 (Edmonton Civic Employees) • Edmonton Fire Fighters Union • Edmonton Police Senior Officers Association • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1007

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Don’t say it can’t be done. Working together, humanity has put a person on the moon, a Chuck Berry record outside the solar system and, right here in our community, engineers led the creation of the Canadarm for the International Space Station. Some are challenges that came to us, others we decided to take on, but one thing is clear: We are problem solvers. Poverty is next.

SOLVE PROBLEMS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

Donate now at myunitedway.ca

FOUNTAIN TIRE IS PROUD TO SUPPORT UNITED WAY IN OUR COMMUNITY.

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