Seniors connecting at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House.
- Alexandra Neighbourhood House School’s Out Club that focuses on helping school age children succeed.
- Frog Hollow’s Family Food Security program that provides families with an opportunity for learning and community building.
- the South Vancouver Seniors Hub that provides conversation circles for seniors who are learning English.
- United Way Avenues of Change initiative that helps young children get the best start in life in the Strathcona Neighbourhood.
Families are getting the help they need. Here is one story. If you were to ask Colleen what it is that makes Ray-Cam Co-operative Centre so special, she would be hard-pressed to name just one reason. That’s because this United Way-supported agency has come through for her and her family in so many ways. A single parent with three children aged 10 and under, Colleen first became acquainted with Ray-Cam in the fall of 2013. She and her children had just moved to the Lower Mainland. When plans to live with extended family in the area fell through, the young mom found herself checking into a transition house with her kids. 
One of Colleen’s biggest concerns during this time was finding a daycare for her youngest child, Joseph, who was not yet able to attend school with his siblings. She was connected to Ray-Cam, whose staff worked quickly to secure a spot for Joseph in their daycare. It all happened within a few days of Colleen reaching out. The care that Joseph received – from learning to eat his vegetables to developing language skills through the help of a visiting speech pathologist – inspired Colleen to find out more about Ray-Cam and its available supports. She and her children started attending a variety of programs offered at the centre, building relationships with staff and with other families in the community. She also received assistance in finding a more stable housing situation for her family and in finishing school. “if it wasn’t for Ray-Cam, I wouldn’t have been able to attend school last summer.” Colleen was able to do this because her kids were cared for by staff and enrolled in Ray-Cam’s day programs, which are funded in part by United Way British Columbia. Colleen dreams of becoming a registered nurse one day and, with the help of the people she’s met at this vibrant East Vancouver neighbourhood hub, she’s getting closer to this goal everyday. “It takes a community to raise a child,” says Colleen. For her and her children, Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre has been that community, where possibility is continually nurtured and bright futures paved. Behind every changed life is someone who made it happen. None of the work that United Way does would be possible without the support of our donors. Help move families from poverty to possibility. Please give generously.
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