At the United Way, you often hear from us as we seek to raise money to support organizations in our communities as they work to deliver vital programs and services to our most vulnerable citizens.
After all, without these crucial donations all this vital work would not happen.
But another large part of our efforts at United Way Saint John Kings & Charlotte reaches beyond fundraising to helping to solve complex social issues in our region.
Take housing, for example. Access to affordable housing is a huge issue. So we’re often thinking about how we can help – what partners and organizations can we bring together to identify the solutions and act on them?
Food security is another. Food drives and food banks are vital here but they alone can’t solve the issue of people in our communities going hungry. The root cause here is that people don’t have enough money, so what can be done to tackle that?
We also put a lot of effort into strengthening the non-profit sector in our communities. How can we ensure these organizations are best positioned to help those that need it?
I had the opportunity to speak about these foundational pieces of what we do recently on the Port Podcast with Port Saint John CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks and co-host Cait Milberry. (You can find the full podcast interview online on our Facebook page.)
Craig, who is serving as this year’s United Way campaign chair, was probably surprised to hear me say I don’t really care how much money we raise (because I really do!). But for me, it’s much more than a dollar value – what is important is the impact that those dollars are making in the communities we serve.
The impact on the non-profit sector, the impact on solutions to social issues, the impact that we’re having on people’s lives.
The success of our fundraising allows us to carry out our responsibilities to the sector and to aid our funded partners in the crucial work they are doing to help others.
And it is supporters like you that propel us along in our work. I’m profoundly grateful for that.
Thank you!
Alexya Heelis
Executive Director
United Way Saint John Kings and Charlotte