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It Takes A County To Raise A Community
Lets face it, 47,000 people is not a lot of people when you spread them
out over an area the size of Lunenburg County. There are lots of empty
gaps. Not only in the landscape but also in the services available to a
community and its residents.
Why can’t the many opportunities available to some communities be
available to many more? The United Way of Lunenburg County believes that
we are stronger when we work and pull together. Using a tried, true,
tested and respected payroll deduction program we raise money with the
support of the local business community and then reinvest that money into
programs and services that will make a meaningful and measurable
difference in the lives of Lunenburg County residents. In this new age of
government cutbacks, our belief is that we can wait for something to
happen or we can make it happen.
We choose to make things happen. Great communities like historic
Riverport and area have been the recipients of United Way of Lunenburg
County funding for many years now. The problem is you just don’t know
it.
If you have children or grand children in elementary or high school
you probably did not know that the United Way of Lunenburg County has
funded the following programs:
- Buster the Bus School Bus Safety Program
- Dance Dance Revolution High School Recreation Program
- Commercial toasters for Centre Consolidated School and Lunenburg Jr/Sr
High School “Grab and Go” Breakfast Program
- Big Brother Big Sisters In School Mentoring @ Centre Consolidated School
- Girl Talk Summer Day Camps
- S.H.I.F.T.
- YMCA Friday Night Youth Zone
- Kids and Kops Summer Day Camp
Sometimes young families struggle financially just trying to make
ends meet. For those families, The United Way of Lunenburg County provided
funding for two new programs. The “Baby Gates” program provides safety
baby gates for parents of toddlers. Another program, P.R.O. Kids, believes
that all kids have a right to play sports or participate in a cultural
activity regardless of their family’s financial ability:
- Municipality of Lunenburg P.R.O. Kids (Positive Recreation Opportunities
for Kids)
- South Shore Safe Communities “Baby Gates Program”
If you have an interest in literacy, the United Way of Lunenburg
County has funded the following programs:
- Tale Spinners Early Literacy Program
- Adult Learning Network (LCALN)
The United Way of Lunenburg County has also provided funding to help
reduce the cycle of family violence: - Harbour House Community Outreach
Material Special needs present special challenges to families, The United
Way of Lunenburg County has funded the following programs that help
provide parents and their children with the tools so that kids and young
adults can be all that they can be:
- First Steps Early Intervention
- Canadian Mental Health Youth Peer Support Network
- Verge House Structured Work Program
What kind of life does a senior citizen have when she is housebound
due to financial or health reasons or when she lacks the family or social
networks to make her feel like she is part of the community? Missed or
neglected medical appointments, the loss of friendships, the sense of
belonging, the ability to contribute, communicate and interact are all
lost when you are without safe, affordable and reliable transportation.
United Way funding has been used to support:
- VON “On the Move” transportation system
Sometimes when life gets you down some people may just need a hand
up. The United Way of Lunenburg County has provided funding to:
- St. Vincent de Paul Community Outreach
On top of all the fundraisers, the hundreds of hours of volunteer
labour and the dedication and commitment from a great group of community
volunteers, that light is still at the end of the tunnel but it just never
seems to get any closer. The Untied Way of Lunenburg County has provided
funding to help the Riverport Community Centre become more marketable for
events and more comfortable for their clients and residents. This
investment is all about long-term sustainability.
- Riverport and District Community Centre Room Furnishings
Speaking of volunteers, the United Way of Lunenburg County also
provides funding to an organization whose mandate it is to encourage and
support the volunteer sector here in Lunenburg and Queens Counties:
- Lunenburg Queens Volunteer Navigator
For additional information about these and many more United Way of
Lunenburg County funded programs please visit our website at www.lunenburgcounty.unitedway.ca
Many of the United Way of Lunenburg County funded
programs that are benefiting the residents of the Riverport area are also
benefiting other people throughout Lunenburg County. Some programs are
just specific to Riverport. These programs are paid for by the payroll
deduction donations of participating employees at over 50 participating
Lunenburg County companies.
The United Way of Lunenburg County could really use the support of
Riverport and area residents and the local business community. Your
contributions could help make a real difference in Lunenburg County.
Consider this, if every single working person in Lunenburg County
contributed just $0.15 per day with the United Way of Lunenburg County we
would have $1.1 million dollars each and every year to invest in Lunenburg
County communities, organizations and people. When you contribute to the
United Way of Lunenburg County, the money raised in Lunenburg County stays
in Lunenburg County, making the United Way one of the best investments you
can make in your community.
For additional information about the United Way of Lunenburg County
or to launch your own payroll deduction workplace payroll deduction please
contact or coordinator Michael Graves at office@lunenburgcounty.unitedway.ca
or call 530-3072.
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