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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, February 12, 2015 | 18 United Way Oakville surpasses fundraising goal by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver For United Way Oakville (UWO), the magic behind the community was evidenced in the support it received in order to surpass its 2014 campaign goal. A $4-million target was set for UWO's latest fundraising drive, but residents dug deep and pushed the final tally to $4.25 million. The news was announced at the UWO's annual Community Celebration Night Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Oakville Conference Centre. The event featured a dinner and awards ceremony, as well as a contemporary dance performance by Toronto's Gadfly. More than 300 people were in attendance as the UWO honoured local organizations and individuals for their contributions. "It was an incredible event. I'm so amazed to see so many people from the community supporting United Way. It's a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate and recognize all of the hard work that went into this campaign," said Brad Park, UWO CEO. "It certainly has been a challenging campaign, but the results were incredible." Sean O'Brien, 2014 UWO campaign chair and president and CEO of Reliance Home Comfort, said the beauty of the campaign was its theme, Magic Behind The Community, which means "being someone who cares enough to step United Way Oakville (UWO) held its 2015 Celebration Night Thursday. Members of the 2014 Campaign Cabinet gathered on stage for the campaign goal reveal of $4.25 million. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) forward and look for rare opportunities to help people." "Tonight is about a celebration. It is about a journey we set out on earlier to really bring the magic in this community to life, to create better opportunities for people," said O'Brien. "This community is filled with courageous, passionate, committed people understanding the power of giving back." Park said the funds would go "a long way" in helping fund critical agencies and programs that the UWO supports. "Volunteers, corporations, unions, labour leaders ­ it's been a combination of the entire community coming together to support the community," said Park. UWO handed out awards to volunteers, donors and corporate supporters for their community giving. Ford Motor Company of Canada took home the Campaign of the Year Award for its contribution of $738,000, an increase of more than $200,000 from 2013. "This year's Spirit Award winners have stood out in the areas of creativity, innovation and overall commitment to building a better town for all of us," said O'Brien. The 2014 Spirit Award recipients: · Agency Division Award ­ Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton · Business Division Award ­ Bard Canada · Finance Division Award ­ RBC Royal Bank · Public Service/Education Division Award ­ Appleby College · Manufacturing Division Award ­ GE Water & Process Technologies · Speakers Bureau Award ­ Deborah Gatenby, CEO of Hope Place Centres · Restaurant Challenge Winner ­ Browns Socialhouse · Joint Union/Management Campaign Award ­ Sheridan College and OPSEU Local 244 · Campaign Builder Award ­ Manulife Financial · Outstanding GenNext Volunteer ­ Liem Vien, real estate broker for Royal LePage Terrequity Realty see Community on p.21 Certified Auto Glass Technicians with 22 years of experience All windshield,door & back glass in stock We pay up to 100% of insurance Deductible · We deal directly with your Insurance Company · Life time Warranty against leaks · Stone chip repairs · Free Mobile Service · Free Pickup & Drop OFF d rs n this a Mentio dshield wipe in w e dels e o r F m t d and ge s to most make an Applie 281 Speers Road Oakville ON 905.339.0339 1.855.339.0339 www.speersautoglass.ca n El iza be ye th cr W of ay tR d Ke rr St ee Qu Sp ee r sR rv al Dr oa d Do . W