#DalUnited for the community

鲍鱼tv鈥檚 United Way campaign has been going for 90 years strong, and this year鈥檚 effort is no exception.

As of press time, the campaign total sits at more than $150,000 鈥� which means there鈥檚 less than $10,000 left to raise to reach Dal鈥檚 fundraising goal.

Your donations can help Dal reach that target: although the campaign 鈥渂litz period鈥� has wrapped, the payroll pledge donation deadline for faculty/staff is December 19, while the deadline for donations for income tax purposes is December 31.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to 鲍鱼tv employees to have opportunities to help others and make our communities better places, and this United Way campaign allows us all to work together and achieve something remarkable,鈥� says Peter Dyhkhuis, co-chair of Dal鈥檚 2016 United Way Campaign and director/curator of the 鲍鱼tv Art Gallery.

All payroll pledges will appear on January 2017鈥檚 pay stubs. If you鈥檙e a first-time donor, you鈥檒l qualify for an extra federal tax credit of 25 per cent with the first-time donor鈥檚 super credit.

Important dates

The United Way accepts designations, so donors can be specific about where they would like to direct their funds. This includes the United Way Community Fund and funded agencies, as well as all Canadian registered charities. To designate your contribution, please select this option on the online pledge form, or complete the back of your paper pledge form.

Learn more: 鲍鱼tv United Way Campaign website

United Way Halifax, United Way Colchester County, and United Way Saint John raise most of their funds through workplace donations and individual and corporate contributions.

Donations to Dal鈥檚 United Way campaign will go directly to the United Way鈥檚 work in the community. Donations made by faculty and staff on the Truro campus will benefit United Way Colchester County and those made at Dal Medicine New Brunswick will stay with United Way Saint John, Kings and Charlotte. Similarly, donations from faculty and staff on 鲍鱼tv鈥檚 Halifax campuses will be directed to United Way Halifax.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been amazed by the effort and collaboration across all Dal campuses,鈥� says Erin Stewart-Reid, co-chair of Dal鈥檚 2016 United Way Campaign and senior manager, special projects in the President鈥檚 Office. 鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring to work with members of the Dal community that you don鈥檛 interact with regularly and come together to 鈥榙o good鈥� in the communities where we live and work.

Did you know?

(from United Way Halifax, United Way Colchester, and United Way Saint John, Kings and Charlotte)

• 1 in 5 people in Halifax don't have enough food to eat.
• 1,508 people stayed at a Halifax shelter in 2015.
• 1 in 8 residents of Halifax live in poverty.
• 38 per cent of children in Saint John live in poverty.
• Saint John has the highest incidence of police-reported domestic violence in Canada.
• 1 in 5 Canadians will personally experience a mental illness during their lifetime.
• 1 in 5 high school students in Nova Scotia have seriously considered suicide, 1 in 10 have attempted it.