The head of the local United Way is confident the community will step up even in these uncertain times. The United Way Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent launched its annual fundraising campaign for Windsor-Essex on Tuesday, and while an exact target has not been set, CEO Lorraine Goddard says they hope to raise over $5 million. The funds are needed to help the United Way fund programs that support kids and families facing urgent needs such as food insecurity, youth mental health support, and removing academic barriers for kids in low-income areas in Windsor-Essex. Goddard says they always hate to set a target because they want to raise as much money as they can. “People that are uncertain about the future of our jobs are going to want to protect their own family income. We know it’s an uphill climb, but we also know the community has been supportive of the United Way and believes in the work that we’re doing. We’re also confident that community, as it always does in Windsor-Essex, steps up,” she says. All of the money raised in Windsor-Essex stays in Windsor-Essex while Chatham-Kent runs its own fundraising campaign. Goddard says they’re hyper-focused with their partners on working with young people from the time they start elementary school to post-secondary to get into a career where they are self-sufficient. “We’re very strategic in our focus. We know that childhood poverty in our community has been an issue for many, many years,” she says. “We believe that education attainment is the clearest pathway for young people to be able to lift up and not live a life as an adult in poverty.” Goddard says ten extra dollars is ten extra dollars, and every donation will be put to good use. “Giving kids opportunities to reach their full potential, and that’s investing in all of our futures because our kids are our future. So, it’s an investment in their future, but it’s an investment in all of our futures,” she says. As part of the campaign launch, the United Way also unveiled a new community mural designed and painted by Jeff Denomme from Haunted Zoo. It’s located at 656 University Avenue West near Caron Avenue. Following the unveiling, over 100 volunteers took part in the United Way’s Community Day of Caring as they spread out in and around the downtown core as part of a neighbourhood clean-up.
