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United Way announces 2006 Community InvestmentsJanuary 25, 2006
The United Way of Sarnia-Lambton Board of Directors have approved the 2006 Community Investments to its 29 Funded Agencies.
United Way Campaign organizers have pushed the thermometer over the top. Campaign Chair, Martin Vrolyk, was very pleased with the results of the 2005 fundraising campaign. "Once again this year, the Sarnia-Lambton community came through just before Christmas."
The United Way is happy to announce that 14 of the 65 programs funded will see an increase in funding. The United Way funding process is a very in depth, three step process involving three different groups of volunteers; The Panel Review Members, Community Investment Committee Members, and the Board of Directors.
The funded programs receiving an increase include the Big Brothers Matching Program; Big Sisters Matching Program; Boys and Girls Club Drop In Centre and After School Program; CNIB Vision Rehab Services; Epilepsy Community Education Program; John Howard Society Anger Management Program; Lambton Elderly Outreach Transportation Services; Rebound Youth Program; Salvation Army Emergency Services; three Neighbourhood Resource Houses, a partnership between the YMCA and the St. Clair Child & Youth Centre and the Stoke Recovery Life After Stroke Program. Two current United Way funded programs will see their funding eliminated as of April 1st, 2006 which are the Subsidized Health Memberships and the Summer Day Camp, both provided by the YMCA. The only monies the YMCA will receive are those designated to the YMCA by the individual donors.
"These kinds of decisions are always very, very difficult to make" said Community Investment Chairperson, Laura Black, "however when we looked at cash strapped Agencies such as Rebound and Boys and Girls Club, Agencies that assist our aging population including Stroke Recovery and Transportation Services in rural Lambton provided by the Lambton Elderly Outreach and others, we simply could not justify funding Subsidized Health Memberships and Summer Day Camp at the YMCA any longer. These decisions would have been far more difficult had it not been for the successful completion of the 2005 Campaign."
"This year's Community Investment decisions went through many discussions at all three levels of volunteer committees," said Black. All the volunteers involved with the Panel Reviews and the Community Investment Committee worked very hard and put many hours into the process. "There are a number of criteria that the volunteers look at when making their recommendations", said Black. "They look at what outcomes and impacts the program has on the client, their families and our community, the financial responsibility of the agency, the effectiveness and efficiency of the program, the demographics of our community, and the number of funding priorities the program hits."
Overall, the 2005 United Way Campaign raised 100.5% of its goal, or $1,807,000.
Consistent to the United Way of Sarnia-Lambton's reputation of being responsive to community needs, Black additionally announced two newly approved Venture Grants.
The first one being the Lochiel Kiwanis Centre. This grant will enable social service agencies, including three United Way funded agencies plus other non-funded Agencies to remain in a fully accessible building in the Downtown area by providing inexpensive rent strictly on a cost recovery basis. These Agencies will be able to best serve their clients in the downtown core who may be most in need. In addition the Centre will install wireless High Speed Internet which will reduce the cost of internet services to each of the agencies within the Centre and improve service delivery. The United Way will provide the Lochiel Kiwanis Centre with $6,000 in funding.
The second is the YMCA of Sarnia-Lambton who will receive $2,500 in Venture Grant funding to provide the Our Children, Our Youth, Our Future Conference. This one day conference will provide a learning and networking opportunity for parents and others who touch the lives of children and youth in Lambton County. Participants will learn practical strategies that will help them with parenting and meeting their own family's needs.
For further information, please contact:
Dave Brown, Executive Director (519) 336-5452 Ext. 7 or email dave@theunitedway.on.ca
Pamela Bodkin, Community Investment & Finance Director (519) 336-5452 Ext. 5 or email pam@theunitedway.on.ca
or, Laura Black, Volunteer Community Investment Chair (519) 339-4711
Community Investments 2006-2007
Agency Name Investment
Big Brothers of Sarnia-Lambton $ 85,158.00
Big Sisters of Sarnia-Lambton $ 79,920.00
Boys & Girls Club of Sarnia-Lambton $ 65,576.00
Canadian Hearing Society of Sarnia-Lambton $ 45,000.00
Canadian Mental Health Association $ 68,000.00
Canadian National Institute for the Blind $ 50,000.00
Canadian Red Cross, Sarnia-Lambton Branch $ 24,000.00
Community Living Sarnia & District $ 41,000.00
Credit Counselling Services $ 15,400.00
Epilepsy Support Centre $ 25,000.00
Family Counselling Centre $ 232,218.00
Girl Guides of Canada-Lambton Board $ 10,000.00
John Howard Society Sarnia Lambton $ 89,715.00
Lambton Elderly Outreach $ 30,000.00
Lambton Seniors' Association $ 9,500.00
Multiple Sclerosis Society $ 27,450.00
North Lambton Social Services $ 34,997.00
Ontario March of Dimes $ 20,000.00
Sarnia-Lambton Rebound $ 60,000.00
Salvation Army $ 35,986.00
Scouts Canada-Bluewater District (Donor Option) $ 2,758.00
Sexual Assault Survivors' Centre (Donor Option) $ 2,700.00
St. Clair Child & Youth (Donor Option) $ 2,557.00
St. John Ambulance-Lambton Branch (Donor Option) $ 2,000.00
Sarnia-Lambton Stroke Recovery Association $ 12,500.00
Resource Houses - YMCA $ 83,500.00
Amenity Houses - St. Clair Child & Youth $ 46,500.00
Victorian Order of Nurses $ 81,041.00
Women's Interval Home $ 24,000.00
YMCA of Sarnia-Lambton (Donor Option) $ 4,045.00
United Way Direct Community Services $ 111,500.00
Donor Option to Other Agencies $ 80,000.00
Additional Dollars raised through Donor Option for Funded Agencies $ 2,500.00
Venture Grant Fund and Community Response $ 118,650.00
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