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SPRING 2018 23 BBB Accreditation Because Trust Matters. bbb.org T H E P A T H Y O U T A K E I S J U S T A S I M P O R T A N T A S W H E R E Y O U G O scu.mb.ca for them. If somebody's family member has a stroke, they can receive support from the Stroke Recovery Association." United Way locations in Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Winkler and Morden are focused on helping people in their cities and surrounding districts, and United Way Winnipeg supports some of the activities of these smaller branches. Since there is no United Way location in northern Manitoba, the agency works with local groups such as the Thompson Community Foundation. "People want to give where they live," Passey says. "Even though we have these services that support our province, we strongly believe in giving locally. We will partner with community foundations so we have good coverage of the province. People can donate and the money will go back to wherever their local community is. "We try to make sure we're investing where there are important needs being met. We use research to do that and educator tools that talk about some of the issues in communities. We're a convenor that brings groups together from different sectors to talk about emerging needs and how can we address these needs." Passey says the most important aspect of giving collectively to the United Way is that it creates stability in the funding it provides to groups across the province. "Our goal is that when we invest in organizations, it's a long- term investment," she says. "This doesn't mean that we'll fund them forever, because we certainly have accountabilities and effective practices and principles in place, but we will provide funding as long as there is still a need in the communities that they serve and they are meeting all those standards of operations." She adds that it is critical for these organizations to be able to count on that stable funding to support their core operations. Passey says the Province of Manitoba deserves a lot of credit for helping the United Way Winnipeg maintain a provincial reach. The province covers all of the United Way's costs in relation to raising funds and administration. "Every dollar of your donation goes directly into our community, thanks to a generous grant from the Province of Manitoba." ■ "People want to give where they live..."

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