Tackling root causes

Jacline Abray-Nyman’s presidential vision is to tackle the root causes of social problems.

The United Way Centraide president and CEO addressed a crowd of about 200 people Thursday at the United Way of Thunder Bay’s President’s Luncheon at the Valhalla Inn.

“People have known the United Way for a long time. We’re almost 100 years old in Canada and people remember the United Way in its old model, which was we fundraise. We raise the money, we give it away,” Abray-Nyman said.

The organization has changed dramatically since its inception.

“We really are a convener and a collaborator. We pull people together, different agencies and organizations. Government we pull together. We can pull together universities and colleges and school systems, boards of education, police and other social services to see what are those core issues,” she said.

“Really convene the right people around the table to develop programs to really address the root causes of those problems,” she added.

There are more than 100 United Way branches across the country and they each work autonomously as non-profit organizations run by a local board of directors.

Abray-Nyman said the Thunder Bay United Way has been incredibly successfully, raising $2.5 million and investing that in the community in the last year.

“The United Way invests in community impact,” she said. “These aren’t simple problems.”

She noted not only does the United Way play a key role in bringing parties together, but it also makes sure to invest wisely by making evidence-based investments and fundamentally changing communities for the better.

“The United Way across the country raises and invests over half a billion dollars in 100 communities across the nation. Canadians have come to know us and count on us,” Abray-Nyman said.