Winnipeggers have big hearts

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Winnipeg Free Press, Monday November 17, 2008
Reproduced with permission.
Photo: Joe Bryksa /Winnipeg Free Press

Donations vital when times are tough

Ryan Poitras has qualified to become a United Way leadership donor.

The manager at RBC Royal Bank has qualified to become a United Way leadership donor by donating $1,200 to this year's campaign. He's one of 1,636 Winnipeggers to have done so after the fundraising gauntlet was thrown down by 10 local philanthropists.

Well-known business people such as Sandy Riley, CEO of Richardson Financial Group, Bob Silver, president of Western Glove Works, Hartley Richardson, president and CEO of James Richardson & Sons Limited, and John Loewen, a director at TelPay, have agreed to pony up $25,000 each -- a total of $250,000 -- if 2,500 Winnipeggers will become leadership donors by contributing $100 per month to the cause.

Poitras, who also sits on the bank's United Way community investment committee, said $100 isn't an insignificant amount for many people, but if they put their minds to it, they can come up with the dough. With approximately 20 working days per month, it amounts to saving $5 per day.

"How often do we throw around $5 on an average work day without giving it any thought?" he said.

Poitras said other money-saving strategies include foregoing expensive cappuccinos and reducing impulse buys at the till.

Silver, this year's United Way campaign chair, said the leadership challenge was issued because the United Way had been relying on the same people for yearly donations.

"They have gladly given, but we want to know our money has a real effect. We need to increase the number of people connected to the United Way so we can continue to grow," he said. "We thought, 'Surely there must be 2,500 people in Winnipeg who can donate $1,200 a year.' That's the type of number that gets us excited about giving money and knowing it's leveraging money from other people.

"If we succeed, and I believe we will, we'll have a much greater base to grow. It's all about getting more leaders, getting more people involved, and getting more people concerned about the plight of the community."

Silver said he has bolted upright in the middle of the night on more than one occasion, worried that the possible economic recession might cause Winnipeggers to cut back on their philanthropy this year. But he said he was soon able to fall back to sleep, confident that his fellow citizens would step up and answer the call.

"When times are toughest, this is exactly the time when we can't fail. This is when the money is needed the most. If you're looking to cut back, this is not the area to do it.

"Two restaurant dinners less won't hurt you. If we don't support the United Way, our community will get hurt. We won't have the money we need to support the agencies that do such an important job helping people who most need it in this community," he said.

The United Way works in partnership with nearly 100 non-profit organizations to ensure an essential network of programs and services are available to all Winnipeggers. It also runs programs such as Koats for Kids, Urban Exchange, Building Blocks (which provides grants for special neighbourhood projects), labour counselling and Youth Connections (a small grants program for youth-driven projects).

Other initiatives include aboriginal relations, youth relations and poverty reduction strategies.

With $14.3 million already raised, Silver said, this year's campaign is "right on pace" to hit its $17.8-million target.

"That's a real testimony to the fact that even in difficult economic times, Winnipeg has the biggest heart there is," he said.