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3| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,S eptem ber 27,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca From the latest information on local politics, to minor sports scores, to what's going on down the street, visit www.waterloochronicle.ca CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY If better visibility was what the United Way hoped to achieve Thursday, it was mission accomplished. Over the lunch hour, hundreds of people marched down King Street, from Waterloo Public Square to Kitchener City Hall, the majority of them toting colourful umbrellas in support. Joan Fisk, who came aboard as the executive di- rector of a freshly merged Waterloo Region chapter back in 2017, said she knew creating better awareness for the umbrella funder was going to be crucial to moving it forward. Campaign shortfalls were becoming a trend. "And we've been asked for so much more," she said Thursday at the 2018 launch. Last year, United Way's local campaign raised about $6 million. This year it hopes to raise $8 million, though it needs more like $12 million, said Fisk. So far, the difference be- tween this year and last was the large showing of support to get things start- ed. The three-kilometre walk dubbed the 'March of 1,000 Umbrellas' was an idea Fisk picked up while at a conference in Montreal. "I thought, 'What a great idea,' so I shamelessly stole it," she said. "I mobilized the idea of getting umbrellas together, and look what we've got." Both individuals and longtime corporate donors such as Sun Life and Manu- life took part in this year's march. Outgoing regional chair Ken Seiling, who was nota- bly one of the first to arrive at Kitchener City Hall, said it was a great retirement gift to see everyone pulling together. "We need to put on the pressure to up the mon- ey that's raised," he empha- sized. Berny Wesselink walked on behalf of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, one of the United Way's 47 partner agencies. "They give us funds and they help us do so many things for our clients," said Wesselink, adding that pro- grams and assistive devices are vital to helping people with visual impairments learn everyday life skills and maintain dignity. Samson Ling, United Way campaign cabinet chair, said he'll be making an extra effort this year to show people exactly how their dollars help address issues such as poverty, hunger and literacy, wheth- er it's an individual $10 do- nation or a $30,000 corpo- rate contribution. According to informa- tion provided by the United Way, last year's campaign contributions enabled more than 4,500 people to access emergency shelters or support to obtain afford- able housing. More than 22,000 were able to put food on the table and access emergency food hampers, and thousands more bene- fited from the 79 programs offered by various partner agencies. Yet there are still people without basic needs who need help in isolation, Fisk said, noting that United Way is second only to gov- ernment when it comes to funding community pro- grams like family counsel- ling services, after-school programs and emergency food hampers. "We can't rely on govern- ment to do it all, and every- thing we raise stays here. So it's in your 'hood.'" Fisk hopes the United Way's new marketing cam- paign with the tag line, "Are You The One?" will inspire people to step forward and be the one to help. Learn more at iamtheo- ne.ca. UMBRELLA WALK USHERS IN $8-MILLION GOAL FOR UNITED WAY Walkers start the March of 1,000 Umbrellas last Thursday with an $8-million goal in mind. Bill Jackson/Metroland BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.ca NEWS AMBITIOUS TARGET AIMS TO RAMP-UP FINANCIAL SUPPORT