United Way of the Alberta Capital Region has been empowering the Edmonton area and its residents since 1941. This is achieved through an integrated approach that focuses on empowering financial security, removing barriers to educational success, and strengthening mental health. Building strong partnerships with corporate and social services partners has always been an integral part of its mission. The organization has been with Edmonton during all of its historical points, from World War II to the current economic challenges. Through it all, United Way has offered corporate partners a flexible, scalable way to offer support; and every year small, medium and large companies answer the call and continue to make an incredible impact.
The Family Centre, a frontline social service agency, has partnered with United Way for almost 85 years – the duration of the time United Way has been in Edmonton. Pauline Smale, CEO and cabinet member, notes that The Family’s Centre’s mission, Healthy Families in Healthy Communities, dovetails perfectly with the goals of United Way.
“When you think about what was going on locally during World War II when both nonprofit organizations launched, we were actively involved in supporting families and children left behind in the wake of trauma. That has been an ongoing story for The Family Centre and United Way. It’s all about partnership, collaboration and leveraging each other’s strengths,” says Smale. “One thing United Way does incredibly well is engaging everyone. This is based on resiliency theory and reciprocity – there is room for everyone. Sometimes you give, sometimes you receive; what this does is create an incredible network of people, and there is room for everyone to support each other.”
Smale grew up in Edmonton and her family experienced poverty and mental illness, giving her both an experienced and a compassionate understanding of the passion behind both organizations.
“There’s something very special that happens to you when you have an opportunity to not only contribute in your day-to-day work, but also to contribute to your broader community,” she says. “That is what we love about working with United Way. They are very strategic and they’re very intentional. I know when we are working with them that we are focused, we’re aligned and making an impact.”
Ruben Thunder, Planning & Scheduling Manager, PCL Construction, shares how this Edmonton headquartered company partners with United Way.
“PCL has been a long-term partner since 1968. Our vision is to be the best, most respected builder renowned for excellence, leadership and unsurpassed value. This partnership helps us achieve that. From an alignment standpoint, the partnership makes sense, and United Way provides a lot of different ways that a person, company or an organization can engage. That is the wonderful thing that United Way brings – those different facets of how to be involved.”
To date, PCL has invested over $42 million to the community through United Way.
“It’s not just the financial investment,” Thunder continues. “United Way also provides opportunities for engagement through volunteering. From a PCL point of view, we believe in giving back to our communities. Our employees live in this community, we work in this community and we build in this community. So, as an organization committed to social responsibility and making an impact, we believe this strategic partnership between United Way and PCL enables us to put those values into action while providing solutions to achieve our social responsibility goals.”
Multiple pathways to be involved is the whole point, according to United Way’s President and CEO, Rob Yager.
“Community participation is central to everything our organization does. It’s vitally important that our corporate partners participate alongside us to help our community get to a better place,” he says. “We do that through a variety of ways, whether that’s working with governments, businesses or individuals, foundations or not-for-profit organizations. We stand as a platform in our community that addresses needs to make sure that we don’t leave vulnerable people behind. We make it easy for partners to join in this mission and provide support in the ways that matter and make sense for them. We really tailor our programs to how and what our partners wish to give and how they want to make an impact.”
Thunder agrees. He and his family came to Edmonton from Yellowknife, moving to Alberta for a better opportunity, escaping both the many challenges youth face on the reserve and the residential school system. While poverty shaped part of his youth, so did the social supports of the city. He experienced how access to support helped to lift his family to a better life.
“I am very proud to be Indigenous and to celebrate the culture, history and identity… but that said, being Indigenous did not help,” he admits candidly about living below the poverty line and the stigma that comes with that. His experience gives him yet another view of the value of United Way and the many ways it supports the disenfranchised without bias – and he is happy to pay it forward now by working with PCL in support of the cause, and as a cabinet member.
“At PCL, social responsibility is part of our culture,” Thunder explains. “We are not just there for the bottom line. We are looking to make a difference. United Way has similar goals and expertise on how to make an impact in the community. So, we leverage that relationship. We lean on that expertise but also help drive it with our skillset, talent, and influence.”
While United Way offers a flexible approach for partners by offering a variety of ways people can support the organization, it also has that same flexibility built into its own DNA. One of the ways the organization stays nimble to the changing times is through its Community Impact Strategy.
Yager explains, “We are deeply connected to our community, working with partners to understand its needs and address critical gaps. Our strategy focuses on three pillars: strengthening mental well-being, empowering financial security and helping kids succeed in school. By balancing immediate support with long-term investment, we create brighter opportunities for individuals, families and future generations. One of the Strategy’s biggest strengths is that it’s a model that can be extrapolated, changed and moved and as the needs of the community change.”
For Smale and The Family Centre, the Community Impact Strategy is the key to the future Edmontonians deserve.
“What I appreciate about the pillars of mental health, well-being and education is that they are the solutions to the current problems that exist in our community,” Smale points out. “It is easy to feel overwhelmed when we see the challenges that people experience in our community, and we wonder how to respond. Through United Way, the research, advocacy and response pathways are provided in ways that address these issues now, and long-term.”
That long-term vision is something United Way takes very seriously.
Yager says, “United Way takes a forward-leaning approach, focusing on sustainability and building up healthy communities. Our investments today create a ripple effect, compounding benefits for individuals, families and the community for generations to come.”
“That’s why we partner with United Way,” smiles Thunder, “because of its proven ability to drive impactful initiatives. With more than 50 community agency partners, United Way acts as a vital link for organizations, allowing them to focus on making a difference where it’s needed most, while United Way handles critical support like fundraising and organizational strategy.”
Smale is happy to agree, “Thanks to the breadth of this network, United Way also reduces the stigma that can be felt by those needing to reach out to a social agency. Their model breaks down barriers with a model that engages people in safe, open ways, empowering them to get the help they need, when they need it.”
The needs are pressing. While United Way has moved far beyond supporting families dealing with the trauma of World War II, currently the pandemic fallout, economic downturn, political climate and ever-increasing costs of living continue to stress every aspect of daily life.
United Way is proactive in its response.
“Our impact is underscored by a careful balance of stability and responsiveness,” says Yager. “That is where our flexibility shows its strength. Our programs flex to meet current and emerging needs, while continuing to build the resilience that provides future return on investment across all our Community Impact Strategy markers.”
The proof is evident in the families lifted from poverty, youth graduating and giving back to the community, people seeking treatment for mental health and addiction and so much more. Smale and Thunder are great examples of how lives can be changed thanks to access to evidence-based social supports. Many, like them, go on to partner with agencies like United Way, join or even launch frontline supports like The Family Centre, or seek out corporations like PCL who are intent on continuing the mission of healthy, resilient, communities.
United Way has made an incredible difference in Edmonton for nearly 85 years, flexing and changing with the times to embrace the community through its most pressing times of need and building resilience that never fails to leave each person stronger. The organization continuously lays down foundations, brick by brick, creating an unshakeable platform of support that leads in one direction – up.
You can be a part of the legacy.
Partnering with United Way offers a powerful way to align corporate social purpose with meaningful community impact. Businesses can engage through initiatives like workplace campaigns, sponsorship opportunities and team-building activities that drive growth and collaboration. Employees benefit from immersive professional and personal development experiences, engagement activities and recognition for their positive contributions.
Yager concludes, “Our corporate partners need to know the impact of their involvement; families thrive. Children grow. People are educated. They find homes. They find communities that embrace them. That’s really what it’s all about. It’s pretty simple stuff when you cut it right back to that. It is really about a sense of belonging and having a place to grow and thrive. In my position, I see the results all the time because of the work United Way does alongside our partners. The impact is – people get to have a future.”
Learn about how you can be part of the movement and change lives in our community at myunitedway.ca.
