United Way Winnipeg provides stable, ongoing funding for over 125 front-line agencies in our city. At a time when there are greater needs in terms of homelessness, substance abuse, mental health, family strain, and other poverty-related issues, members of the UM community have shown again this year that even in these challenging times, they really do care for all citizens of Winnipeg!

“It’s truly amazing what can happen when our community comes together.  2021 was a challenging year for everyone, with the contributions raised by the campaign we have supported more than 100 agency partners and programs that provide essential services to kids, families, and people who need help. We are all so proud of what we were able to give as a community,” says Jackie Gruber, Chair of UM United Way Campaign.

Whatever the size of the gift, the UM campaign team would like to thank you for your support. This year, the campaign team included:

• Chair, Jackie Gruber (Rady Faculty of Health Sciences)
• Co-chairs David Mandzuk (Extended Education) and Michael Yellow Bird (Faculty of Social Work)
• Janet Morrill (Asper School of Business)
• Laura Orsak-Williams (University Secretary’s Office)
• Stacey Woods (Extended Education)
• Jillian Daien (Student Representative)
• Funmi Owoade (Rady Faculty of Health Sciences)

The campaign team would also like to thank Rod Cruz and Gina McKay from United Way Winnipeg for their amazing support during the campaign, as well as Suzanne Crnic and Tiffany Lachuta from the Marketing & Communications Office for helping set up a United Way SharePoint site that UM community will be able draw on well into the future.

To learn more about the difference UM is making in our community, please watch this video for a personalized thank you from Connie Walker, CEO of United Way Winnipeg. It’s a reminder that during these uncertain and ever-changing times, we are much stronger when we face our challenges together!

Our community needs us now more than ever. COVID-19 has brought many challenges and underscored the need for programs that provide support to Winnipeggers from all walks of life.

Now is the time to help make Winnipeg a better place for all of us. As we grow beyond these last two years, we need to protect and strengthen programs that provide critical, front-line support to members of our community. That’s why our UM community is coming together–in person and remotely–to join in the 2021 campaign, Because we Love Winnipeg, Rally, Revive, and Thrive.

The campaign kicks off Friday, Sept. 17 with the “Walk this Way” event as we join with other Winnipeggers to walk a collective 40,000 km in one day: the distance of one full trip around the globe.

On our Fort Gary Campus, the UM campaign team is hosting a physically-distanced walk on Sept. 17 to get your steps in. The pre-set route should take around 30 minutes, and will feature stops highlighting how the University and the United Way are interconnected. Volunteers will be set up outside the Active Living Centre handing out route maps and other goodies; join us anytime between 12 to 3 p.m. to start your walk.

If you are working from home, take a break to walk, bike or run on your own—up and down the stairs, around the block, on a treadmill, you name it. Just make sure to register so your steps are counted – visit https://unitedwaywinnipeg.ca/walk-this-way/ and join the University of Manitoba Team.

No donations are required for this kickoff event – if the collective 40,000 km goal is reached United Way’s sponsors will donate $100,000 to the cause!

The campaign continues until Nov. 1. Watch our social channels for “Because I Love Winnipeg” videos, sharing what the United Way means for members of our community. Faculty and staff will receive an email the week of Sept. 20 with information on how to donate by cheque, cash, credit card, or payroll deduction. Every dollar received will go to helping people in Winnipeg when they need it most, investing in effective local programs that change lives.

UM has stepped up to support the United Way in the past, but last year only 7 per cent of our faculty and staff donated to the campaign. Because we love Winnipeg, we can do more. Every contribution brings us closer together and makes our community stronger, during this pandemic and beyond.

For more information about the United Way campaign please contact Laura Orsak-Williams Laura.Orsak@umanitoba.ca

The reality is that the number of Winnipeggers living in poverty and experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and addictions is on the rise. In these communities, United Way-funded agencies are doing amazing work but are struggling to meet the needs under our current restricted health and safety conditions.

Now, it’s more important than ever that we come together and support those in our community whose circumstances are more challenging than ours.

The UM community is coming together behind the United Way’s annual campaign theme, Because We Love Winnipeg, We Will Rally to Recover!

“The United Way provides an excellent way for all of us to show that we care about our fellow Winnipeggers and a great way to unite rather than divide us as a community,” says David Mandzuk, one of the co-chairs of the UM’s United Way campaign and Extended Education acting dean. “I continue to be impressed with the number of community leaders who give of their time to make our city even stronger than it already is!”

Because we love Winnipeg, we need to rally to recover and build a city where everyone who lives here can thrive.

This year’s campaign runs from Monday, November 9th to Friday, Nov. 27th. During that time, watch for regular stories in UM Today and on social media – stories that focus on the three pillars of this year’s campaign:

1. Mental health and addictions
2. Family supports
3. Job readiness.

This is the perfect year to join the rally for Winnipeg’s recovery.

This year, your gift will go even further with the 150 Challenge, sponsored by the Johnston Group. When you donate $150, your gift will be matched. Every dollar the United Way receives will go directly towards its community fund and Winnipeg’s recovery, supporting agencies hard at work helping the city’s most vulnerable.

Throughout the campaign, UM community members will share why they donate, you will learn about resources like Manitoba 211 and you will be invited to the United Way’s Summit Series, a free, virtual program, featuring engaging speakers to inspire us, powerful words to enlighten us, and uncomfortable questions to challenge us. The UM has stepped up in the past and we are counting on your support once again this year!

But they can’t do it on their own.

On Friday, Sept. 18 the United Way Winnipeg will launch their Walk This Way campaign with a virtual event to unite the community we live in. The University of Manitoba community is encouraged to join the event by doing two simple things.

1. Download and log in to the United Way’s free app
2. Walk

By doing so you’ll join Winnipeggers from all across the city working to reach the United Way Winnipeg’s goal of collectively walking 5,000 kilometres. When that goal is reached the event sponsors will donate $100,000. The UM campaign team is trying to capture the excitement and energy of the overall campaign by promoting Friday’s virtual walk. 

“UM has a long history of supporting the United Way at both the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses and every year we end up being one of the major institutional donors to the campaign,” says David Mandzuk, UM’s United Way campaign chair. “Last year, for example, UM employees contributed a total of $659,835 across both campuses. In particular, UM’s retirees, many of whom donate at the leadership level, are responsible for a major portion of our overall donation.”

This year’s campaign focuses on three priority areas that have emerged during the pandemic.

• Family supports
• Job readiness and training
• Mental health and addictions

Mandzuk believes that by channelling this energy and working together, we can build a better community for everyone who lives here.

The challenge this year, he adds, will be convincing our community that while the need in Winnipeg is greater than ever, some members of the UM community itself have been impacted. For example, some have been laid off, had to take reduced hours and are working from home with young children.

“I think it is important that those of us who have means, those of who have reliable employment and aren’t fighting mental health problems, realize that there are many members of our community who are not as fortunate. I think we need to encourage people to look out for and care about those members of our community who are struggling,” says Mandzuk.

Why does the UM support the United Way?

The UM and its employees support the United Way because only by working together and pooling our resources, can we address some of the problems that are challenging our city.  Crime, poverty, addiction, and mental health issues are taking a toll in many of Winnipeg’s neighbourhoods; the UM recognizes that we have a collective responsibility to help find creative solutions to these kinds of issues.

Winnipeg is already a great city but it could be even greater if the United Way was able to better support various agencies across our city. Some of the organizations supported by the United Way include: Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Art City, the CNIB, the Indigenous Women’s Healing Centre, Marymound, Mount Carmel Clinic, and the South Winnipeg Family Information Centre. I think it is safe to say that there are faculty, staff and students at the U of M who have accessed these services in the past or are benefitting from them as we speak.

How does the United Way help in Winnipeg?

The United Way provides sustainable funding for more than 100 agencies in Winnipeg that: 1) help kids be all they can be, 2) move people from poverty to possibility, and 3) build strong  communities and healthy families.

How can members of the UM community make a donation?

There are several ways to donate.  All UM employees and retirees should have received a personalized ePledge link by email to their UM email address (if you haven’t received yours, check your junk mail, just in case).  We will also be sending a reminder email in late November, so people will have a second opportunity. Employees who don’t regularly utilize their UM email addresses will receive paper pledge forms as well. If you would prefer to donate by paper pledge form, you can request one by contacting Laura Orsak-Williams, at 204-474-9001 or Laura.Orsak@umanitoba.ca.

If you want to donate by credit card, you can do so directly on the United Way website – there is the opportunity to check off that you are part of a workplace campaign, to ensure that the donation is counted towards the U of M’s total.

Those who are able are encouraged to consider the “Leadership Challenge” – leadership gifts are pledges of $1200 or more. This year, Wawanesa Insurance has agreed to match all new pledges of $1200 or more, and for those who have contributed at the Leadership level in the past, Wawanesa will match any increase up to $300. This is a great way to increase the UM’s contributions to the United Way campaign overall.

The campaign ends on December 12, so please consider donating soon.