When it comes to fundraising in Sooke, we’ve see it all – bottle drives, car washes, concerts, food drivers, and, recently, waxing for a good cause. No doubt, Sookies have the imagination, and the willpower, to raise money for just about anything.
Now comes the chance for every employee working in Sooke to step up to the giving game through United Way’s workplace campaign program, allowing just about any business, big or small, or take part.
The way it works is simple: an employee signs up for the program and provides a number to be deducted from their payroll regularly. That, in turn, pools into a collected account which is then used by United Way for various charities and community initiatives, such as food banks and homeless shelters.
A workplace campaign also helps a company achieve its corporate social responsibility goals, according to United Way.
Sooke acting mayor Kevin Pearson, who serves as the spokesperson for the District of Sooke’s overall United Way campaign, said the idea is to encourage municipal employees to reach out in areas of their own community that are in need.
“When people identify that there’s a need, they always step up, and the employees of Sooke are no different. They are people who care about their community,” Pearson said, adding that collectively, even small amounts add up to big amounts.
Employers interested in signing up for the program can visit uwgv.ca and look into United Way’s campaign toolkit, which explains all the rules and criteria needed to participate. If a business is already part of the program, employees can simply ask their company’s workplace campaign manager to be enrolled as well.
Generally-speaking, it helps link people together for a common cause, which also opens up bigger volunteer opportunities for those who feel they want to go a step further.
If people would like to run a workplace campaign for United Way in Sooke or the CRD, the contact person is Brittany Decker, Director of Community Campaign at brittany.decker@uwgv.ca