On May 9, the philanthropic agency, United Way of Northern British Columbia, or UWNBC, stormed through Vanderhoof on a mission to raise funds for community programs and increase awareness to the issues that effect Vanderhoof as a whole.
This was all apart of the first ever United Tour of Northern B.C., an initiative launched by the organization that invests in over 500 community programs across the northern part of the province, which include 86 aboriginal communities and 5 regional districts across the entire region.
The regional tour, which launched on April 28 in Prince George, will visit 20 locations in just over a month, all in the name of reaching out to local organizations and determining what the substantial needs are for any given community.
Angie Schuirmann, the campaign officer for UWNBC, says that one of the goals that is trying to be accomplished is connecting with some of the communities that the organization doesn’t normally get to.
“The main objective of this tour is just to connect with a lot of the different agencies that are in the communities that we don’t normally get to,” says Schuirmann. “We wanted to visit as many of the agencies and corporate partners as we could, to talk to them and see how they are feeling about the work that we do, and if there is anything that we can improve on or if they feel that anything is missing. It has been a pretty positive response from the communities we have visited so far.”
UWNBC calls what they are doing a philanthropic revolution, with the United Tour acting as a facilitator to further implement funding towards individuals who live in poverty. They also state the tour is is coupled with their dedication to early child development and ultimately, social inclusion for all community members.
Roberta Squire, the CEO of UWNBC, believes that the tour has been instrumental to finding out the defining problems that each unique community across northern B.C. faces.
“For instance, Kitimat has a huge situation where middle-aged women aren’t finding jobs that pay very well, so they have nowhere to live,” says Squire. “We’ve found that Smithers has a big issue with addiction for teenagers … It is very interesting and very unique to each community. We’ve found different things in every community so far.”
In Vanderhoof, Squire has observed some remarkable things, but also notes some potential worries.
“You guys have done a lot, the community has really stepped up. You really have no barriers in terms of transportation because you have that great community bus,” says Squire. “There is an aging population in Vanderhoof and the community has a good amount of doctors, which is fantastic … and there are a lot of activities for these seniors, which is also great.”
“But, on the flip side, what we do find in Vanderhoof is that your teenagers have nowhere to go,” continues Squire. “There aren’t a lot of things to do, so that is a big concern … Just going outside isn’t what kids want to do anymore. They want technology, they want activities. Both Vanderhoof and Fort St. James have a lack of that.”
One of the biggest issues plaguing the citizens of northern B.C., according to Squire, is the inability to phone bc211, which is a phone line dedicated to emergency and crisis situations, addiction, housing and many more social services.
“Just north of Williams Lake to the Yukon border, from Haida Gwaii to Alberta, that area does not have the ability to get on their phone and dial 211,” says Squire. “Everywhere else in the province they can. Now, I love the fact that we have the bc211.ca available to us because it is an enormous resource, but we certainly want some corporations and our major telephone companies to step up and help us get that phone capability in this region.”
Councillor John Murphy, who was present when the UWNBC set up a booth with the Northern Brain Injury Association in the Co-op mall on May 9, voiced his new found knowledge concerning the bc211 as well.
“When talking with Roberta Squire, one of the big things that she brought to my attention was the bc211,” says Murphy. “That was something that I was not even aware of, so it was definitely a bit of education for myself. It’s definitely a good service that people can use to look for help, whether it be housing, addiction help, or any other service they need.”
The United Tour wraps up on June 14 with a stop in Taylor. A 50/50 draw that is running alongside the tour will also conclude the same day. The draw aims to raise up to $100,000, with 50 per cent going to the lucky winner, while the other half will funnel directly into community programs and services.
For more information about United Way of Northern British Columbia, the 2018 United Tour and the 50/50 draw, visit www.unitedwaynbc.com