Nurture the Future - Phase V

Phase V of the Nurture the Future Project, overseen by a steering committee of representatives from business, government and the voluntary sector will be devoted to the establishment of a Community Resource Centre - a Centre of Excellence for the Voluntary Sector.

It is proposed that this Centre will be home for United Way of Chatham-Kent, several of the existing funded agencies and programs (including Good Neighbours, Pay it Forward, the Environmental Expo, and Funders Alliance) and many new initiatives yet to be developed. These include - but are not limited to - the creation of a Volunteer Bureau, Community Information
Centre and 2-1-1, Volunteer Leadership Development Program, Social Planning Council, Special Event Equipment Loan Cupboard, a Grant Writing Office and Youth Encouragement Centre. The Centre will be "the community place" for people to give help ... and to get help. Operating under a "one stop shopping" philosophy, the Centre could provide central intake and secretarial services, shared meeting space, a common equipment work room and access to trained staff and volunteers who can facilitate a "match" between those looking to help and those who need help.

The vision of a Chatham-Kent Community Resource Centre has been "on the books" and "in the hearts and minds" of many local residents for well over two decades.

When the United Way first expanded its fund-raising base to cover all of Kent County in the early eighties, the vision of the volunteer Board of Directors was to have United Way programs and services offered to each resident of the community - where they live. Over the years, many of the
funded agency programs have expanded to respond to needs in every small community throughout our 2,400 sq. km. area.

In 1997, the United Way of Chatham-Kent began a transformation from a traditional fund-raising organization to a community builder. The local government had been forced into amalgamation and the 21 communities outside Chatham proper were feeling abandoned and fearful. As an organization with a Mission "to build the organized capacity of people to care for one another", the United Way Board and Staff agreed that they needed to do something. They started talking about what that might look like. They were introduced to the work of John McKnight and his "asset-based" approach to community development, to Julie White of The Ontario Trillium Foundation and her "Five Capacities That Build Community" and to Peter Drucker who says
that a healthy society is created when all three sectors - government, business and voluntary sector work together. It was the following quote from Drucker that provided the inspiration for the work that followed ... "The mission of the social sector is to change lives. It accomplishes this
mission by addressing the needs of the spirit, the mind and the body - of individuals, the community, and society. This sector also provides a significant sphere for individuals and corporations to practice effective and responsible citizenship. Somewhere in North America, no matter what the problem, some nonprofit organization is solving it!"

United Way was beginning to focus - not solely on providing services to "treat" the symptoms of social problems, but on attempting to "get ahead of the curve" and begin to invest in programs and services designed to "prevent" or address some of the root causes of some of our social issues.

With the help of the Chatham-Kent Community Futures Development Corporation, Human Resources Development Canada, The Comfort Inn, Municipality of Chatham-Kent and many other community partners, the United Way of Chatham-Kent created the Chatham-Kent Community Capacity Builders and launched its Nurture the Future community capacity building project.

A number of community projects were identified as having the potential to "prevent" some of the community's most pressing issues and time, passion and financial resources were invested. The annual Youth Volunteer Expo, Chatham-Kent Children's Safety Village and East Pride are just a few examples of the projects that were offered United Way's helping hand.

United Way itself, with the support of partners in government, business and labour, expanded its own office to North Chatham-Kent in 2000 and opened a satellite outreach office. One of United Way's staff members was relocated to Wallaceburg to manage the facility located adjacent to the Wallaceburg and District Chamber of Commerce. And work began on the identification of
where United Way could, once again, offer its helping hand to meet community needs. A number of community partnerships were established to assist in this important work.

Also in 2000, the United Way hired its first Campaign Manager to assume responsibility for the annual fund-raising appeal and to begin to develop a Planned Giving Program for the organization. This move provided an opportunity for the Executive Director to focus more of her attention on
community building work and the identification of community resources that could be mobilized and maximized to meet community needs.

On November 20, 2000, the United Way of Chatham-Kent was notified that it had been approved for funding in the amount of $219,000 - over three years - "to support the consolidation of collaborative working patterns and programs throughout Chatham-Kent". Thus began a unique partnership with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to integrate two distinct community strategic
planning processes and establish quality of life indicators to serve as guideposts in the building of a stronger, safer, more caring community. This was the third Trillium grant received by the local United Way organization. Two previous projects had been funded - the first being financial support for the introduction of community capacity building in Chatham-Kent and the second being support for a Youth Volunteer Expo to give grade 9 students the opportunity to explore volunteer opportunities in the community.

The three-year grant - recognized as a "Great Grant" by The Ontario Trillium Foundation at a special gathering in Windsor on October 9, 2003 - will expire on December 30, 2003 ... but much more community building work is yet to be done.

The vision of a Chatham-Kent Community Resource Centre or Centre of Excellence for the Voluntary Sector is supported by all members of the Nurture the Future Steering Committee and many groups and organizations throughout the community.