A Challenge from our Campaign Chair, James Chmiel



James Chmiel

Everyday, United Way KW has an enormous impact on our community, ensuring an essential network of programs and services that work together to achieve lasting, positive change.
 
It has been a humbling honour to serve as the 2011 United Way KW Campaign Chair and to assist United Way KW with their efforts.
 
Our campaign, like our community, has faced tough times. We have not reached the $6 million goal we set for ourselves last September, or more importantly, that we felt this community needed.

Make no mistake about it, the $4.9 million we have raised to date is a truly impressive demonstration of generosity and caring at a time like this.

I’m not willing to stop there, however, because I know we can do better. At the United Way KW Community Spirit Awards on February 29th, I reaffirmed to attendees my commitment to building upon the $4.9 million we’ve raised to date.

United Way KW CEO Jan Varner then challenged attendees to reaffirm their commitment as well by donating an extra $29, $290 – whatever amount they were able – to support not only our campaign but also the 29Leaps Movement created by local teenager Madi MacIntyre.

It is this same challenge that I now issue to all of you.

When I visited Madi’s web site on February 28th, about 159,000 leap acts had been counted. When I visited again two days later, on March 1, that number had climbed to over 240,000.

Please, get involved, spread the message, and make Madi’s total - and the United Way KW campaign total - climb even higher.

After all, when our community is strong, supported, and resilient, we all benefit.

Thank you.

James Chmiel
President, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.
2011 United Way KW Campaign Chair

Community Spirit Award Winners and the 29Leaps Movement

Congratulations to our Community Spirit Awards winners, who were honoured on February 29th at a breakfast reception sponsored by our host, the Waterloo Inn.

Special thanks to Manulife Financial and Lagrotta Packaging Group for sponsoring individual awards, and to Susan Cranston from Manulife Financial, our Leadership Chair, for speaking about the tremendous difference made in our community by Leadership Donors - those who annually donate $1000 or more to United Way KW.

The significance of February 29th, or Leap Day, was certainly not lost on attendees, and we were thrilled to have among them 17 year old Madi MacIntyre, the local resident whose 29Leaps Movement has gone viral, encouraging people to make Leap Day something for ALL to celebrate by using the number 29 to spread caring and kindness. Madi came up with her idea after realizing that the extra day in a leap year is great for many of us, but not always so for the sick, homeless, lonely or hurting in our community.

At the Community Spirit Awards, we encouraged people to donate an extra $29, $290, or whatever they could afford to honour Madi's 29Leaps Movement and help make up for the current shortfall in our annual campaign. Our $6 million revenue challenge goal has currently brought in about $4.9 million. Our Campaign Chair, James Chmiel, remains committed to helping us close that gap. Both he and Madi MacIntyre are great role models in showing what one person can do to motivate others and make our community a better place.

Congratulations Madi and James, and congratulations again to all of our Community Spirit Award winners!

Change starts here.