{"id":68762,"date":"2020-10-21T10:40:56","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T14:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=68762"},"modified":"2020-10-21T16:33:00","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T20:33:00","slug":"brock-aims-to-make-local-issues-unignorable-through-united-way-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2020\/10\/brock-aims-to-make-local-issues-unignorable-through-united-way-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock aims to make local issues ‘Unignorable’ through United Way campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now more than ever, Brock University\u2019s United Way campaign is striving to make a difference in the local communities that need it most.<\/p>\n

Although it looks a little different this year, the 2020 Brock employee campaign will play an even greater role in funding more than 154 vital United Way programs and initiatives across the Niagara region. Donations will help the broader United Way Niagara campaign achieve its mission of making local issues \u2018Unignorable\u2019 and improving the lives of 120,000 local people in need.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of our lives in ways we could have never imagined, and it can be easy to feel stuck at home wondering what you can do to make a difference,\u201d said Sandy Howe, Brock\u2019s United Way Committee Staff Co-Chair. \u201cGiving to the United Way is a simple way that faculty and staff can come together to support our neighbours and communities in these difficult times, regardless of where you are living or working from. Contributions to the Brock campaign can be designated to any city or community in Canada, or to a registered charity of your choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

As this is an unconventional year, the United Way Committee has opted to not set a concrete fundraising goal as it has in the past. Instead, the focus of the campaign is on increasing awareness and giving \u2014 no matter the amount \u2014 across campus to help as many people as possible.<\/p>\n

Many of the campaign\u2019s traditional fundraising events aren\u2019t on the docket this year, but faculty and staff can still support the campaign by setting up their contributions through Workday<\/a> from now until Dec. 21. Employees who\u00a0donate online\u00a0by noon on Friday, Oct. 30 will be automatically entered into a draw to win an early bird prize package donated by the Campus Store.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile everyone is dealing with the challenges and hardships associated with COVID-19, the pandemic is having an even more profound impact on the region\u2019s most vulnerable,\u201d said Lynn McCleary, Brock\u2019s United Way Campaign Faculty Co-Chair.<\/p>\n

One in seven Niagara residents is currently living in poverty \u2014 including one in four children \u2014 and more than 50,000 local people regularly struggle to afford healthy food. One in five report struggling with mental illness, while the same number reported experiencing social isolation.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 has amplified the challenges many people are facing and any donation, no matter the size, can go a long way in making a difference to those who need it most.<\/p>\n