The Co-operators executive vice-president Rick McCombie is the chair of the 2016 United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin Campaign.
McCombie takes over from Karen Farbridge who handled the successful 2015 campaign.
“Rick truly understands and supports the mission of United Way, and has volunteered his time to many local United Ways throughout his career,” said United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin executive director Ken Dardano in a news release.
“Rick knows how to get the job done, having been the Campaign Chair locally in 2006 and 2007, and we are pleased to have him onboard again to help lead us through the beginning of this next chapter," Dardano said.
The local United Way announced at a Wednesday event at the Community Impact Reception held at the Guelph Civic Museum that they will be investing in 92 social service programs at 57 community agencies during 2016-2017.
Two new agencies will receive funding, including Big Brothers Big Sisters Centre Wellington and Community of Hearts, a learning centre for post-secondary individuals with intellectual disabilities.
With the addition of BBBS Centre Wellington, United Way now funds all of the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs in Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin counties.
“Thanks to the tremendous support from donors, we have been able to increase our investment in the community forty percent over the past five years,” Dardano said. “We are pleased this year to have been able to increase funding to a number of our programs, including many addressing the issue of poverty in our community.”
United Way invests funds in community programs based on identified community needs. Local volunteers manage the distribution of funds, thoroughly researching and meeting with agencies applying to United Way to learn first-hand how their programs address local issues.
“United Way has committed over $2.74 million in funding this year,” added Dardano.
A full list of United Way funded agencies is available at unitedwayguelph.com.
