CHANGE A LIFE
Do you believe in a world where everyone is proud of who they are? Where leaders encourage, empower and take action with others? Do you believe in the power of community? Every day, 15-year-old River helps build this reality for his classmates, his teammates, his family and his friends. A grade 10 student at Frank
Twelve-year-old Kieneshia loves sports. She excels on her school’s basketball and volleyball teams, and enjoys playing soccer and lacrosse. “Sports make a big difference for me,” she says. “I make friends. I feel good in my body and I know what to do.” One year ago, her life was very different. Kieneshia often felt sad
The most important part of our community is love. And no surprise either – a community is a lot like love! It comes it all shapes and sizes. It isn’t defined by age or experience. It blooms through diversity and inclusivity. It thrives when reciprocated and supported. It has the power to change the world.
Nubia is the mother to two beautiful children – Kenneth who is eleven months, and Mikaela who is almost three. Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, North Vancouver has been her home for the past six years. The biggest difference between the North Shore and her home city? “It’s much smaller,” she laughs. “But there are
If all the children in B.C. who live in poverty were gathered together, they would form B.C.’s fifth-largest city with a population of 153,300. That city would be disproportionately populated with First Nations kids, visible minorities, recent immigrants and children of single parents, according to a newly released BC Child Poverty Report Card by the
Congratulations to Joe and Rosalie Segal and family! The prominent philanthropists have been recognized with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes an individuals’ extraordinary contribution and dedication to the fundraising profession. They were also lauded with The Giving Heart award in the category of Outstanding Philanthropist to an Organization Raising over
Lucca is one of 170,000 children in the Lower Mainland between the ages of 6-12. Just like his mom, Miriam, a single mother, Lucca loves soccer. The 9-year-old is also passionate about poetry. Thanks to a unique United Way School’s Out program in Burnaby, he gets to participate in both. “Soccer’s my favourite, but I
A ball of energy with nowhere to go—that’s how 25-year-old Verdann describes her younger self. Throughout her childhood, her unstable home life sent her bouncing from household to household, and city to city. By the time she was 17, Verdann had been couch surfing and sleeping on the street for years. “I was in a
Parents of children aged 6 to 12 report benefits from enrolling their kids in out-of-school-time programs, a new poll by Insights West conducted in partnership with the United Way British Columbia has found. The poll was conducted through an online survey. A representative sample of parents in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley were surveyed.
From mom-and-baby classes to post-kindergarten playdates, there’s lots of stuff for little kids to do to keep them busy and socially engaged before nap time. But once they start school, opportunities for extracurricular engagement start to drop. “There’s a complete mismatch between the end of the school day and the end of parents’ workdays,” says
Twice a month, Wes, Adam, Michael and Dave meet up as part of the Dads on the North Shore peer support group. The first time they meet, it’s just the guys, but the second time, it’s the dads and their young children. With almost 50,000 families on the North Shore, this unique United Way-funded
United Way is one of four charities that HSBC Bank Canada (HSBC) is supporting through an $11 million funding commitment from 2014 to 2020. The three other charities are Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, Indspire and Pathways to Education Canada. Through this combination of charitable organizations, HSBC is funding wraparound support to Indigenous youth,
New research published by UBC's Human Early Learning Partnership, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University demonstrates that teaching emotional intelligence in schools has long lasting effects. Social and emotional learning programs for youth not only immediately improve mental health, social skills, and learning outcomes but also continue to benefit children years later. In
The bright green bookshelves are filled with new books. The walls are painted with palm trees, fluffy clouds and blue skies. Colourful comfy chairs await kids.The United Way Reading Oasis is ready for kids to have fun and learn! A gift from an anonymous United Way donor and a partnership with New Westminster School District
United Way strives to make the Lower Mainland a place where everyone can access opportunity and reach their full potential, no matter where they live or where they’re from. In the Tri-Cities (Anmore, Belcarra, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody), United Way invested $2.0 million dollars in 2016 to support 60 programs and 42 agencies.
Today is Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in the spring of 2013. It grew out of Phyllis' story of having her shiny new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school at the
“Knock on wood!” Jeanne Leeson reaches for a woven wooden headband hung around the rear view mirror in her four-wheel drive truck. The headband is her good luck charm. She has just deftly manoeuvred around another truck and some fallen 2x4s at kilometre 7 on the lake side of the inSHUCKch Forestry Service Road.
Peanut butter makes a great sandwich – all that gooey goodness binding the bread together. Summer camp is a bit like peanut butter, connecting the end of the school year with the beginning of a new school year. Kids learn new skills and make new friends and like it as much as they do peanut