Q1 The United Way recently announced that it was changing its name to Renfrew County United Way from the United Way/Centraide of the Upper Ottawa Valley Inc. Why?
A1 Our new name reflects the fact that there is now one United Way organization serving all of Renfrew County. Prior to 2009, two United Way organizations were operating in the County. The United Way/Centraide of the Upper Ottawa Valley Inc. (UWUOV) began operating in central Renfrew County in 1971 and in south Renfrew County in 1997 at the invitation of several large Arnprior-based companies who asked us to manage their United Way workplace campaigns. The Deep River District United Way (DRDUW) began serving the area from Chalk River to Deux Rivieres many years prior to this. On January 01, 2009, the two organizations amalgamated and the need for a more inclusive name became apparent.
Q2 What is your organization’s mission and how do you fulfill it?
A2 Our mission is “. . . to identify and address the needs of our community by organizing the resources of community members to help one another”. Between 2005 and 2007, we undertook a county-wide initiative called Community Matters to identify our communities’ high priority needs. A series of public consultation activities were conducted including stakeholder meetings, town hall meetings and a public survey. A number of issues and needs were articulated by community members who participated. This feedback was condensed into six broad, high priority areas including child poverty, youth, seniors, medical services, transportation and safe affordable housing. Increasingly we are focusing our support on initiatives that address issues/needs within these six areas.
In part, we fulfill our mandate by raising funds to help address these needs. But United Way funding is limited and can at best address the symptoms of only a small fraction of existing problems. Our focus therefore must be to tackle the root causes of issues and this requires total community effort. The United Way seeks partnerships with other community stakeholders, including our municipalities and other charitable organizations, to build our communities’ capacity to develop home-grown solutions supported by local resources.
Q3 Although the United Way has been operating in the County for many years, why isn’t it well known in areas outside of Pembroke, Petawawa and Deep River?
A3 Traditionally, our focus has been on the Pembroke-Petawawa-Deep River corridor because the communities there long ago recognized the value in having a single organization fundraise on behalf of a number of charities to meet a variety of human service needs. Strong donor and volunteer bases were consequently developed over time. While United Way funded agencies delivered services in other areas of the County, including Arnprior, Renfrew, Killaloe and Barry’s Bay, the United Way brand wasn’t associated with them – in part because we didn’t have a physical presence in those communities – no fund raising activities, no local citizen involvement.
Q4 What are you doing to improve public awareness of United Way activities, particularly in outlying areas of the County?
A4 The strength of the United Way Movement depends on the support of our communities, through the work of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Public awareness flows naturally from this support.
Local volunteers not only provide witness and credibility to the work we do, but they provide us with ideas and assistance in organizing events, which help raise awareness and give local citizens opportunities to donate. So, the first thing we are doing is creating local campaign committees in all community areas of the County. We now have active committees working in Arnprior, Pembroke-Petawawa and Deep River. We are working on identifying people interested in forming committees in Renfrew, Cobden/Eganville and Killaloe/Barry’s Bay.
Our Board members are also volunteers and we are in the process of ensuring representation from all areas of the county. Arnprior, Pembroke, Petawawa, and the Deep River District are already well represented. We are welcoming new members from the Cobden/Eganville Community Area and the Killaloe/Barry’s Bay Community Area. The only community area not represented is Renfrew and we are working to change this.
Our donor base not only provides the funds that are critical in maintaining the services of the agencies we support, but they also help maintain awareness of and enthusiasm for United Way objectives, particularly donors that are part of workplace campaigns, like at Pillar5 Pharma in Arnprior, KI and Pemco Steel in Pembroke, AECL in Chalk River/Deep River, and at CFB Petawawa. We are in the process of expanding our individual donor base by introducing activities that give more people the opportunity to donate – such as our Round Off program, which relies on the support of retail businesses in inviting customers to authorize their bills to be rounded off to the next highest dollar. We are also planning to recruit more businesses willing to offer their employees the opportunity to donate to their community through payroll deduction. This is an easy, convenient way to donate – for as little as a “Timmie” per pay period!
Q5 What do you do with the money you raise?
A5 The money goes into a consolidated fund. After expenses, the bulk of the funds are distributed back into the community. Designated donations are forwarded to registered Canadian charities as directed by the donor. Non-designated donations are distributed within Renfrew County to member agencies as base funding or to non-member agencies that apply for one-time assistance through the United Way’s Community Support Fund and Project Fund. Recently, we set up a Strategic Priorities Fund to support initiatives that address high-priority community needs. We are also investing in the future of our communities by creating a United Way Endowment Fund within community foundations – so far, one in the Deep River District, and a second covering the communities of Pembroke, Petawawa and Laurentian Valley. The principal of these funds will remain in perpetuity, with the interest being used for specified purposes once the portfolios reach sufficient levels.
Q6 Fund raising is a very competitive undertaking with many organizations vying for support. When people ask you why they should support the United Way, how do you respond?
A6 There are many worthy causes out there and undoubtedly they deserve to be supported, whether it is to combat human disease, address the effects of a disaster abroad, or to provide the latest in medical equipment and facilities. Often times we are not aware of the needs right here in our own backyards because they aren’t as high profile or dramatic. But nonetheless they need to be addressed because their resolution adds to the quality of our lives as a community. The United Way exists to serve those needs. Donations to the United Way remain in Renfrew County to provide a variety of human services in our communities, from seniors foot care and nutrition, children’s activities, emergency services and vision care, to counseling and sheltering for abused women and children, friendly visiting of the infirm and dying and social inclusion initiatives that support children living in poverty.