Congratulations 2020 Award Winners!

Thank you to everyone who made our 2020 Campaign a success – our donors, volunteers, agencies and partners. With your support and hard work, you helped us exceed our goal.

Thanks to you, United Way helped over 130,000 people in Niagara in 2020. We wanted to take the opportunity to recognize the following individuals and organizations for their special dedication to United Way last year, congratulations to all of the award winners!

The Anita Robertson Legacy Award

The Anita Robertson Legacy Award is bestowed upon individuals that have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to United Way Niagara, in memory of The Late Anita Robertson. The recipients embody the spirit of Anita in her unrelenting desire to help those most in need.

In a time when United Way needed support the most, the Trapassos came through in many ways. When the children at our After School Matters program were impacted by closures, they generously sponsored care packages for over 400  participants. In light of the need for masks in Niagara due to COVID-19, they found a way to provide an essential item to members of the community while boosting our fundraising efforts through the Masks for a Cause Initiative, raising over $20,000. And, in the way that would mean the most to Anita, they have made giving back to the community a part of family tradition involving their sons, Isaac and William. Congratulations Patrizia and Domenic!

Campaign of the Year

This year we are delighted to acknowledge Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. for conducting one of their most successful United Way campaigns to date. In a year full of challenges, Costco achieved great success as a result of their dedication to supporting their local community. Thanks to a high participation rate in the campaign by employees, an increase in corporate support through a matching program and their hard work, the campaign grew by 35% in 2020. We’re pleased to present Costco with the 2020 Campaign of the Year Award. Congratulations!

Chair’s Award

The support Canada Revenue Agency has shown throughout the 2020 campaign has been significant. In addition to the ongoing employee giving campaign, CRA participated in numerous special events and hosted monthly raffles throughout the year. Thanks to to a well thought out, organized and timely plan, CRA successfully implemented a virtual kick-off, webinar training sessions for local canvassers, and online information sessions to support the efforts of the campaign. These “best practices” translated into outstanding results for CRA’s 2020 campaign. We’re pleased to present CRA with the 2020 Chair’s Award. Congratulations!

Community Builder Award

Enbridge Gas Inc. has been a loyal partner of United Way and the community we serve for many years and embodies our mission in a number of ways. Not only does Enbridge support United Way with an annual employee giving campaign where employee contributions are matched, they also made a significant contribution to our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. In addition to supporting United Way’s annual campaign, Enbridge supports a number of other local agencies throughout the year with monthly campaigns. The team at Enbridge has shown tremendous dedication to their campaign with a passionate group of committee members who creatively engaged employees this past year which resulted in significant employee contributions. We are honoured to recognize Enbridge with the 2020 Community Builder Award. Congratulations!

Committee of the Year

This year we are delighted to acknowledge Brock University’s United Way Committee for conducting one of the most successful employee giving campaigns in Brock’s history. In a year where support has never been more important, Brock’s United Way Committee stepped up and raised nearly $160,000 to support United Way. Under the leadership of Committee Co-Chairs Sandy Howe and Lynn McCleary, the Committee immediately recognized the need for community support at the outset of the pandemic, and sought to adapt the campaign to a completely virtual format. The Committee’s demonstration of teamwork and leadership has been evident as they’ve persevered through this challenging year. We’re pleased to present the 2020 Committee of the Year Award to Brock University. Congratulations!

Longstanding Service Award

With nearly 30 years of support to United Way, Niagara College Canada continues to show an outstanding level of commitment to the community. Through significant participation by employees through the annual employee giving campaign, as well as raffles and creative virtual events, Niagara College employees continuously demonstrate their dedication to United Way and the community we serve. From the beginning of the pandemic, the strong committee and the broader NC community have rallied together to make a significant impact in our community in a time when it is needed most. We are proud to present Niagara College with the 2020 Longstanding Community Service Award. Congratulations!

Municipal Challenge Winners

The Municipal Challenge trophy is presented annually to the Municipality with the highest percentage of employees participating in the annual United Way Niagara campaign. For over 25 years the Town of Niagara-on-the Lake has continued to show an outstanding level of commitment to United Way and to the community. With 27% participation in 2020, the Town of Niagara-on-the Lake has won the Municipal Challenge for the second year in a row. Congratulations!

Unsung Hero Award

Avondale Stores Ltd. has been a generous supporter of our programs and special initiatives for many years, and this past year was no exception. Last year, with Avondale’s support:

• 280 individuals and families moving from shelters to affordable housing were provided with household items to start their new home
• 2,000 youth were provided back to school essentials with our school supply kits
• 3,754 hygiene kits containing essential every day items were distributed to people living in poverty and/or experiencing homelessness through United Way agency partners

We are so proud of our continued partnership with Avondale and so appreciate their vital support behind the scenes on these programs. We’re pleased to present Avondale Stores Ltd. with the 2020 Unsung Hero Award. Congratulations!