Tuesday, May 19, 2009, Ottawa – United Way/Centraide Ottawa announced the final results of the 2008 Community Campaign at its annual general meeting this afternoon. Surpassing the $31 million goal, a record-setting $31,094,525 was raised thanks to the dedication and generosity of supporters throughout the community. At the meeting, United Way/Centraide also welcomed new members to the board of directors and thanked the outgoing members who have invested their time and expertise into this community.
“The success of the past year’s campaign truly belongs to the whole community and has equipped us with the resources to make our community that much stronger and sounder,” said Michael Allen, President and CEO, United Way/Centraide. “Today, we also look to the future by welcoming new members to our board — individuals who are devoted to making a difference in this community and who trust they can do so through their engagement with United Way/Centraide.”
The newly elected board members include:
- Dr. Nalin Bhargava, a local dentist, has donated his time to a number of Ottawa charities. His volunteer work includes being a member of the Bruyère Continuing Care Foundation Board and chairing the Maharaja’s Ball, one of Ottawa’s newest and most popular charity events, both since 2006.
- Maria Fitzpatrick was elected as the Regional Executive Vice-President for the Public Service Alliance of Canada for the National Capital Region last June. Prior to being elected, Maria was an active member of the Regional Women's and Education Committees, and was an Alliance Facilitator in Ottawa and Edmonton. She has been an active volunteer on United Way/Centraide workplace teams in both cities.
- Steve Kanellakos is the Deputy City Manager of City Operations for the City of Ottawa, overseeing many services to residents of Ottawa, such as emergency and social services, recreation and culture, and surface and corporate operations. He has worked for 23 years in municipal government within the Ottawa region, including 15 years with municipal police services.
- Karen Williams has more than two decades of experience in the technology industry. She currently oversees operations, business transformation and communications for the Business Intelligence & Performance Management Products organization at IBM Software Group. Karen has also worked at Cognos, Fujitsu Canada and Symantec.
Farewells were said to outgoing board members: Nazreen Ali of Brightstar Capital Corporation, Dr. Karim Damji of the University of Ottawa Eye Institute, Gloria Kelly of National Defence, Kent Kirkpatrick of the City of Ottawa and Jim Orban of The Ottawa Citizen. Special presentations were made to the outgoing chairs of the 2008 fundraising campaigns — Janice Charette, national chair of the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign (GCWCC) and Sal Iacono, chair of the United Way/Centraide community campaign.
“Being a campaign chair and working with such outstanding volunteers and staff was a privilege,” said Iacono. “My parents moved their young family to Canada, with very little money in their pockets, back in the 1950s. We were able to create a brighter future for the family with hard work and the support of a community. I am honoured to have led United Way/Centraide’s efforts in making this community stronger and brighter for all.”
The 2008 campaign raised $1.2 million more than the previous year’s $29.8 million. Among 119 United Way/Centraides across the country, United Way/Centraide Ottawa now ranks fourth in the country for per capita achievement.
On Tuesday, May 26, United Way/Centraide will announce how resources are being invested back into our community, which areas will be a priority focus and how United Way/Centraide is leading community agencies as they navigate through economic setbacks. The announcement is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at the United Way/Centraide offices, 363 Coventry Road.
About United Way Ottawa
United Way Ottawa’s mission is to bring people and resources together to build a strong, healthy, safe, community for all. By bringing people together from all parts of our community to identify, develop and provide solutions to community needs, we promise that the donations we receive go where they are needed most. In 2008, United Way Ottawa made a record community investment to support more than 200 projects, programs and partnerships, in more than 100 community organizations.
For more information, please contact:
Kate Headley, United Way Ottawa
Phone: 613-683-3823 or Cell: 613-294-8128
E-mail: kheadley@unitedwayottawa.ca