October: A Message from our Executive Director

As September comes to a close, we finish up with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th. This day is to honour the children who never returned to their homes from the residential schools, along with the survivors, as well as their families and their communities. There were 140 federally run residential schools across Canada between 1867 and 1996, and the damage inflicted by these schools has had a multi-generational impact. The survivors advocated for recognition, reparation, and accountability, which led to the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission’s work spanned from 2008 to 2015, during which time it travelled the country, hearing from survivors and their families about their experiences and the lasting impact. This year marks 10 years since the report was released and the 94 Calls to Action launched; we have a long way to go to embed those calls to action into our collective, organizational, and personal efforts. At United Way Oxford, one of our commitments is to practice cultural humility, which means listening, learning, and being accountable. Please join us as we strive to learn and unlearn, so that we can work towards ReconciliACTION. September 30th is also known as Orange Shirt Day, which symbolizes the loss of culture, freedom, and self-esteem that many Indigenous children experienced. We all wear the orange shirt, but more importantly, we reflect on those many losses and remember that ‘Every Child Matters.’

In the recent September newsletter, I mentioned that our annual solicitation letters would be going out in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, due to the labour dispute at Canada Post, those letters are still sitting in our office. We respect the right to collective bargaining and hope for the best possible outcome. Meanwhile, if you would like to make your donation through our secure online giving, please visit our donate page, where you can make a one-time donation or a monthly donation, whichever is more convenient. While you are on our website, please take a moment to review our Annual Report, which highlights our achievements from the past year. It is remarkable what we can achieve when we come together as a community! Also, please remember that you are always welcome to drop by the office – we’d love to have a visit.

Each year, our staff and volunteers approach the campaign with a goal of raising as much money as possible, so that we can invest as much as needed to help ease the burden on agencies and expand services where necessary.  Our team is committed to the campaign, to offering the most support to workplaces that we can, to presenting educational and engaging stories of impact and life-changing supports, and inspiring our community members to donate and to join in our efforts to provide vital programs and services that give people hope and opportunity here in Oxford County. Even when we acknowledge that social challenges are increasing, our approach remains optimistic that we will have the necessary funds to invest where support is most needed. While we are currently in the process of accepting the first stage of funding applications, I think it is essential to acknowledge that this year is going to be a very challenging one. Coming after what has been five unique, difficult, and unstable years, there are many in our community who can no longer make ends meet, and that group of individuals, seniors, and families that were struggling to get by are growing each and every day. Do they pay their rent or put food on their table? Are they isolated, lonely, or depressed? Do their children still have the chance to participate in activities? Is their employment situation stable? For far too many of our neighbours, these are situations they have to face day in and day out. Please join us and contribute what you can to support our campaign, enabling us to invest in both the immediate needs people face and the upstream opportunities that can change lives. We really are changing our tomorrow, today! Thank you.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. We are grateful to have you as a champion and caring community supporter.