After facing numerous hurdles to organize in person fundraising last year, members of the United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin danced to launch their 81st annual fundraising campaign at Market Square on Wednesday afternoon.
This year’s theme is Radical Recovery.
“We’re saying recovery isn't good enough. It needs to be a radical recovery,” said United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin's executive director Glenna Banda.
The event saw nearly 50 people at the launch with most clad in bright red t-shirts with the words Radical Recovery.
Banda said the organization saw many community needs emphasized during the pandemic such as mental health and food support.
“It has changed us all and impacted us in so many ways, it's really given us the opportunity to look at the issues in our community and the issues that our community was facing even before the crisis began, homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, addictions, isolation, elder care, and the digital divide,” said Banda.
“These were all issues that existed over a year and a half ago, but the pandemic just really emphasized and increased the urgency of them and many people said that this was the first time they really saw the issues and really understood many of the things that our neighbours were impacted by. Some even experienced these issues for the first time themselves.”
Ryan Hornseth, an LGBTQ+ youth, stood in front of a crowd of nearly 50 people telling his story of finding community of support that positively impacted his life thanks to a United Way-funded program in Dufferin County.
Banda said from the service side of things, it was challenge for the organization to keep up with community demands and from the fundraiser side of things, the challenge was how fundraising could be done. She said traditionally, nearly $700,000 is raised through special events.
“So we really had to find different ways we can do this,” said Banda.
She said during the pandemic, the community rallied together and with the annual and the emergency campaign, the organization was able to distribute $3.5 million in the community last year.
Banda said this year, the organization is reflecting on what it learned through the pandemic and going back to a normal isn't good enough.
“We want to look at the root issues that created the inequities that made COVID hit people in different ways and get back to how we can truly lift people out of poverty,” said Banda.
“How can we break down inequities and systemic racism?”
She said the United Way will have various activities across the city in the next three months trying to raise funds for the campaign.
Banda said the organization didn’t set a fundraising goal last year because it didn’t want to add pressure during the pandemic. "We’re actually sticking with that this year," she said.
A surprise flash mob of roughly a dozen people organized by Kween, local dancer and community advocate at the end of the event aimed to bring the message of coming together as a community to support radical recovery.
