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Donors honoured in annual United Way Spirit Awards

Twelve individual and workplace donors honoured by United Way
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Twelve workplace and individual donors from the Nanaimo and North Cowichan region were honoured at the United Way’s annual Spirit Awards in Nanaimo earlier this month.

The Spirit Awards are given in nine categories, which highlighted 25 nominees and 12 recipients from the United Way’s 2016 workplace campaigns.

Recipients this year included Vancouver Island University; Laura Blackburn of Catalyst Paper; Tamara Schmidt and Jay Xia of CIBC: B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union; Terrapure; CIBC – Duncan; BMO; Catalyst Paper – Port Alberni; B.C. Hydro; Costco; and Timberwest.

Each fall more than 80 workplaces host fundraising campaigns for the United Way in North Cowichan and central Island regions. Spirit Awards recipients made special efforts to increase employee participation and raise more money. They volunteered and hosted special events to help raise more money for the United Way than ever before. These fundraising efforts mean 17 community programs in the Cowichan Valley and 44 in the central Island received grants for 2017-18.

“The hard work and generosity of our Spirit Award recipients and all our workplace campaigns meant we could renew long-standing effective programs that our community counts on,” said Signey Madden, executive director. “Because they raised more dollars than ever before, we were able to fund new programs such as the LBGT support program, an early learning Saturday breakfast club for low-income, working families, plus the teen bereavement program.”

For more information, please visit www.uwcnvi.ca.