The Value of our Sponsored Employee Program

I’ve been discussing corporate social responsibility a lot lately, so it seems only fitting to tell you about our sponsored employee program. It’s a unique opportunity for local organizations to practice corporate social responsibility in a way that benefits them, their chosen employee and our community.

Essentially, our sponsored employee program sees potential leaders from a variety of workplaces join forces with United Way KW staff for about four months, often during our fall workplace campaign. These individuals hone and refine valuable business skills - including public speaking, customer service, strategic planning, leadership, project management and networking - while helping workplaces plan, implement and monitor their United Way campaigns. They then return to their workplace feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to go - not to mention brimming with new skills and ideas.

Of course, not every organization has an employee to loan. Another option is to donate funding for a sponsored employee, allowing United Way KW the flexibility to hire an individual with the specific skills we need.

Many sponsored employees are students from post-secondary institutions. While some are sponsored by their schools, others come to us through the generosity of local businesses and organizations. Be sure to read my August 2nd blog to learn about a unique sponsored employee arrangement that’s benefitting United Way KW, Teledyne Dalsa and co-op student James Saliba alike.

For more information about our sponsored employee program, be sure to visit www.uwaykw.org.

Jan

Please Join United Way KW in Supporting the Citizens of Goderich

The town of Goderich lies disaster-stricken in the wake of an F3 Tornado that hit the community last Sunday. I find it hard to believe that the photos I see online and in the newspapers depict a once-idyllic location so near to my own home. The overwhelming personal and emotional loss suffered by the residents of Goderich extends far beyond the physical damage these images reveal. Like the buildings, their lives, too, need to be rebuilt.

In times such as this, with so many lives uprooted so close to home, we must step up and help each other. Please, put your caring into action. Text "UCARE" to 45678 to donate $5.00 to United Way Perth-Huron and let the citizens of Goderich know we're here to help them thorough this tumultuous time.

For more information, please refer to the media release on the our web site. 

Jan

Corporate Social Responsibility: No Longer Just a Buzzword

Corporate social responsibility. You hear this phrase everywhere, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier that it has passed the mere buzzword phase to now represent a key consideration – an expectation, in fact - for those thinking about doing business with or working for an organization.

I firmly believe that what’s good for the community is also good for business. Working with United Way KW can strengthen your reputation as a caring organization while setting a positive example for employees. No matter what size your business, no matter how many employees, your support can make a difference in our community.

Here are two great ideas for getting involved:

• Make a corporate gift to show that you care about more than just the bottom line - you also care about your employees and your community. Encourage employees to get involved by offering to match their contributions with an equal corporate gift.
• Grow leadership within your organization and foster team spirit by holding an annual United Way workplace campaign. Combine fundraising efforts with other initiatives such as a staff BBQ to make giving fun while bringing awareness to social issues in our community.

For more great ideas for engaging in corporate social responsibility, click here.


Jan

Teledyne Dalsa Donates Social Media Student

“You’re pursuing a master’s degree in what?”

This was my first thought when introduced to University of Waterloo student James Saliba, who’s currently working on a master of arts degree in experimental digital media. It probably also explains why James is such a valuable asset to United Way KW.

James comes to us as a gift from Teledyne Dalsa, where he is currently employed on a co-op work term. From now until his work term ends in December, James will spend one day a week using his technical and academic experience to evaluate the way United Way KW engages with community stakeholders via electronic means. He’ll conduct a comprehensive review of our digital social media engagement practices and will work to build a consistent, simple means for us to utilize social media to its full extent.

We were told James has a knack for thinking outside the box and identifying opportunities we didn’t even know existed, and he’s already proven this to be true. I can’t wait to see what additional opportunities he’ll find as we look at expanding our use of digital media for connecting with the community.

You’ve heard of a win-win situation, I know, but this one is win-win-win. James benefits from experience gained through two work terms in one, we at United Way KW benefit from James’ valuable knowledge and skills, and Teledyne Dalsa benefits from providing further support to United Way while offering an enhanced experience for co-op students.

Special thanks to Patrick Myles, Vice President of Business Development and Communications at Teledyne DALSA (also a member of our Board of Directors), and to Neil Humphrey, Manager of Corporate Communications at Teledyne Dalsa, for spearheading this unique opportunity.

Jan

Our Inaugural Youth Campaign Chair: Keith Reinhart

I recently told you about our 2011 Campaign Chair, James Chmiel. Helping James to engage our community's youth in support of United Way will be our inaugural Youth Campaign Chair, Keith Reinhart. Check out our Community Heroes blog for a quick intro to Keith, then read the latest addition of REACH (that's Keith on the cover) to find out more about this fun-loving social media guru.
Jan

Our 2011 Campaign Chair: James Chmiel

James Chmiel, a partner and President of Erb and Erb Insurance, is our 2011 Campaign Chair. Check out our Community Heroes blog for a quick intro to this dynamic individual, then read the latest addition of REACH for a list of the top 10 things we think you should know about him.

Two quick hints...
James met someone very special in an elevator, and he's really gone the distance in his past fundraising efforts - 42.2 km to be exact.

Jan

Partnership Key to Assisting Local Immigrants

For the past five years, the Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network (WRIEN) has benefited both immigrants to our area and local employers alike. Our region now stands posed to offer immigrants and employers an even stronger resource for meeting their respective goals thanks to the recent integration of WRIEN into the Immigration Partnership Council of Waterloo Region, which helps immigrants transition into all aspects of life here in Waterloo Region, not only employment.

Here’s an interesting statistic from the Immigration Partnership Council web site,  http://www.immigrationpartnership.ca/: currently 22.3% of Waterloo Region residents are immigrants from diverse regions of the world, with an expected growth to 30% by 2031. That’s a solid argument for increasing awareness and growing the capacity of our region to integrate a higher number of immigrants. Both of which are goals of the Immigration Partnership Council, by the way. Additional goals include:
• improving access to and coordination of initiatives that facilitate immigrant settlement and integration, and
• partnering with and responding to the needs of local employers to improve access to the labour market for immigrants.

I’m pleased to be a member of the Council and I’m proud of the work we’re doing to assist those who choose to settle in our area with feeling a sense of belonging and being able to contribute to our - make that their - community.

Jan