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