UFV’s United Way campaign has gone above and beyond and raised $26,491 in donations from staff and faculty, exceeding the original goal of $25,000.
Leslie Courchesne, executive director of university relations said that she is “blown away by the number of charitable donations from the staff.”
Courchesne explained that UFV has been involved with the United Way campaign for 33 years and although the amount of money and donors had been slipping recently, this year was a dramatic change in a positive way. UFV’s United Way campaign now has 43 donors — 16 of these donors are new.
The campaign for this year was organized by the volunteer cabinet, with the UFV representatives Leslie Courchesne, Martha Dow, Caitlin Pascuzzo, Nancy Scarrow, and Tricia Townsend. The campaign went bigger this year than it ever had before.
United Way hosted a pancake kick-off breakfast, which took place in Chilliwack and Abbotsford, and according to Courchesne, was a big success. The event also included five presentations around campus about United Way, as well as guest speaker Kim Jemmel, who shared how United Way impacted her and changed her life for the better.
Through her work with the campaign, Courchesne has seen the positive impact it has on the community.
“My role is very much inclusive of community relations, and UFV is really inclusive of and involved with the community,” Courchesne said. “My heart is very much touched by people’s stories and people who have faced adversity and have found help through community services and fantastic people who are involved in these services. I am humbled and thrilled to be a part of United Way.”
The charity is proud of the work they have done so far in the year, and Courchesne is hoping to continue working with them in the future.
