With a goal of $750,000, the local United Way begins its fundraising campaign with a breakfast.
The campaign runs from September through December, and the annual Kick-Off Breakfast set for Sept. 20 at Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, will start things off with proceeds going to various programs.
The usual breakfast staples are on the menu, including yogurt, granola, eggs, bacon, sausage and croissants, and the theme of this year’s event is “Are you an agent of change?”
“One of the things we’ve got is a cutout of a gentleman in a trench coat with a hat on, kind of like a spy, a secret agent, so we’re asking many of our corporate donors and some of our individual donors – anybody that comes for breakfast – to be taking pictures of people with the cutout and using those on our website,” said Signy Madden, executive director of the United Way for Central and Northern Vancouver Island. “By supporting the United Way, volunteering or donating, you’re making a positive change in the community.”
Madden said the United Way is supporting 60 programs this year and it covers a diverse area.
“We really need the support and it’s just a way for people to go, ‘The United Way is here, it’s our time to give and to help the homeless, children who witness abuse’,” she said. “There’s a huge range of programs that are funded through United Way.”
The kick-off event brings together corporate donors, community partners, agencies and anyone else in the community who wants to support United Way to listen to speakers talk about how their donations make a difference, said Madden.
“Usually they’re heart-warming tales of how people have been helped through the funded agencies,” Madden said.
The breakfast event begins at 7 a.m. and tickets cost $30 a person or $300 for a table of 10 and can be ordered through http://uwcnvikickoff.eventbrite.ca. People can call the local United Way office at 250-729-7400 for more information.