By Staff
September 26, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a perfect fall day – sunshine and fresh breezes with a glimpse of fall colour appearing in the trees. Several hundred people showed up at the tarmac at the John C. Munro airport in Hamilton to pull a 200,000 pound A300 airplane a distance of 50 yards.
An Airbus A300 was pulled 50 yards by teams of 15 people. This is the same model of airplane that Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger ditched in the Hudson river several years ago – that story is now a feature movie. “Sully”
It was the kick-off event for the Burlington Hamilton United Way fund raising campaign.
Over 200 community partners joined UPS and United Way to rally around this fall’s fundraising campaign for the community impact organization. Hundreds of observers watched as teams of 15 pulled with all their strength to move the 200,000 plane across the finish line.
United Way CEO, Jeff Vallentin
“We are so grateful for the support and dedication of partners like UPS and so many of you who continue to stay committed to making our community great for everyone”, said United Way CEO, Jeff Vallentin during his opening remarks at the Hamilton Airport. “This year we are asking the community and all of you here today to strive for five. That could be a five percent increase over last year’s investment, or it could be an investment of $500 more. United Way is committed to doing 5% better overall in many of our initiatives and, most importantly, we are striving for 5 new initiatives of community impact”, said Vallentin.
They actually moved that air plane 50 yards.
The organization is putting a call out to all community members to get involved in a way that is meaningful for them. The ultimate goal is to increase revenue for the organization that does so much to support social service programs and initiatives in the Burlington and Hamilton community. Campaign Cabinet Co-Chair Shirley Thomas-Weir said “this means that everyone can get involved. We are asking all of our donors to give 5 more of whatever they can. For those that cannot give dollars, we are asking for them to consider giving 5 hours of community service, or to have 5 conversations with friends and family about the important work of United Way”. During her remarks, Thomas-Weir spoke of people like Don and Barbara, a couple in their eighties who are able to live safely in their home in Burlington thanks to United Way.
Joe Vanderbeck, Vice-president of Operations at UPS Canada spoke about the importance of giving back to our neighbours, family and friends and their over three-decade long partnership with the community organization. “Last year, UPS Canada donated $1.2 million to the United Way…but we didn’t stop there. Our employees also gave over 84,000 volunteer hours to various charities; investing their time in communities across the country”, said Vanderbeck.
This year UPS hosted 4 plane pulls across Canada, in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Hamilton to raise awareness and funds for the national organization.
In addition to UPS, organizations that registered teams for the pull were RBC, State Farm Insurance, Canada Bread, CUMIS, Community Living Hamilton and Canada Revenue Agency.
Burlington’s Blair Lancaster, on the left, representing Mayor Goldring at the pull for the United Way with former Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina.
Burlington city Councillor Blair Lancaster spoke on behalf of the Mayor’s office. “The City of Burlington is proud to be a long-time supporter of United Way with a relationship that dates back to the 1960s’s. Social needs in a community like Burlington are sometimes hard to see but there are residents in our community who need a helping hand. According to the 2011 census, almost 8% of the population in Burlington lives in poverty. United Way is committed to building a strong and resilient community, but they cannot do it alone” said Lancaster.
Little people – little plane.
The United Way is stepping away from setting a hard target they want to reach each year. Jeff Vallentin said “We have historically raised around six and a half million from our generous community and we are looking to accomplish that, if not more, this year. We can always use more money than what we set out to achieve at the beginning of our campaign as the need is great. We are dealing with pervasive social issues that are resistant to change, but if we work together, I believe we can create a community that’s great for everyone.”
Last year, United Way helped 19,195 kids get school ready, 15,989 individuals and families access safe and nutritious food, and 39,328 people access community mental health initiatives.
