CHANGE A LIFE
stories, news, and other happenings in our community
Labour leadership, Campaign Associates, CLC Labour Participation Department staff and community leaders came together at the Labour Campaign Breakfast earlier this month to kick off the 2015 United Way campaign in unionized workplaces. Guest speaker was Walter Gerlach, Directing Business Representative, International of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Northwest District 250, and Labour Co-Chair of the
Employers and employees on the waterfront get it: by working together you can make real positive change. Right now on Metro Vancouver’s waterfront, more than 6,000 people are having fun, learning about their communities, and committing their support to United Way through the Waterfront United initiative. Waterfront United is a collaboration between employers and unions
United Way British Columbia was proud to present Rudy Kerklaan with the 2015 Joseph and Rosalie Segal United Way Community Vision Award last night at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. This honour is given to an individual or family for their commitment to the betterment of the community through leadership and support of United Way.
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
One in three kids in BC starts kindergarten with odds stacked against their success – in the classroom and later in life. In Surrey’s Guildford West neighbourhood, this number is worse: it’s almost one in two. United Way British Columbia is determined to change these odds and ensure more kids in Guildford West start school
Sixty-six-year-old Shapiri lives in a two-bedroom Metrotown apartment with her daughter and she is happy. But it has taken her a lifetime to get here. The former high school mathematics teacher and her two daughters fled Kabul with nothing but the clothes on their backs. “Our situation was very bad because we couldn’t go alone
Canada is one of the world’s wealthiest countries, yet one in five Canadians has skipped a meal either because they can’t afford food or so that their children can eat. And last year in Metro Vancouver, there were close to 700,000 visits to food banks. Hina was among those visitors. When basic needs, like feeding
More than 200,000 children across the Lower Mainland have now either started or settled back to school. For many working parents, it’s a real struggle to find and afford after-school arrangements. Many BC families are challenged to find childcare especially with family debt at historic levels and growing. Many kids don’t have access to quality
It’s National Seniors Day on October 1st and for the first time ever, there are more seniors than children living in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, in July, the country’s population reached 35,851,774, and people over 65 accounted for 5,780,900 or 16.1% of the total. By comparison, 16.0% or 5,749,400 were children age 14 and
Colin was in trouble. He was depressed. He was isolated. He spent his days and nights on social media, turning down invitations to visit friends. But a conversation a day changed Colin Easton’s life. In 2014, Colin talked to a stranger every day of the year and blogged about it. The compilation of posts
We live in busy times and in a wired world. There are fewer opportunities for children to just play, increased technology use in families, and busy parents — how is this affecting children? It’s a challenge that is explored in a report that investigates rising child vulnerability in five nieghbourhoods on the North Shore. According
As sure as kids go back to school, the leaves turn red and gold, and the rain returns, every fall hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers help raise awareness and funds for United Way. United Way’s mission is to build strong communities, to move people from poverty to possibility and to help kids be all that they
Who lives in the Lower Mainland’s fastest growing city? In a comprehensive profile published by United Way today and featured in The Vancouver Sun, data exploring population, economic and social data is broken down for Surrey’s six communities and for the city of White Rock. United Way invests $2.89 million into programs and services in
“Higgeldy-piggeldy bumblebee, won’t you say your name for me,” sings three-and-a-half-year-old Hannah during a lively session of Mother Goose in Port Coquitlam. This popular program uses songs and rhymes to foster early language skills and help parents connect with their babies and toddlers. Watching Hannah flash a big smile at everyone she meets and sing
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
In today’s age, we “vote” for things we like all the time: who wore it best; who sang it best; which cat video is the best. We “like” posts on Facebook, we sign online petitions, we show support by retweeting tweets or following people on Twitter. Yet during the last federal election in 2011, only
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and United Way British Columbia are pleased to announce an innovative partnership that will award participants in United Way’s Campaign Associate Program academic credit for hours worked, volunteer time and training. Every year, United Way recruits and trains up to 40 individuals for its Campaign Associate Program. Campaign
Strong communities fuel our lives, support our development and keep us healthy and strong. With the biggest storm since 2006 walloping Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods this past weekend, many Lower Mainland residents reached out to friends, family and neighbours and proved that strong communities really do nurture the people who live there. Here are a few
Student unions across B.C. are struggling to keep up with demand as reported in The Province newspaper. At UBC, the Alma Mater Society operates the food bank. As reported in the story, volunteer Alex Kwok said that he used to associate food banks with the poor and the homeless. “It’s tough to hear their stories,”
Ask the staff at the Harry Rosen store in Vancouver’s Oakridge Mall about how to do good and look good doing it. Store manager Terry came up with an idea for a staff lottery. Each week sales people who achieved top results had their name entered into a draw. The lucky winner got to go