HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-10-28, Page 9Huron United Way to merge with Perth
Gerard Crates -
signal -star staff
It was a hard year for
the Huron United Way and
some hard choices had to be
made to keep the services it
provides flowing.
As of December 31, the
Huron United Way will be
dissolved, incorporating
with their neighbours to the
east to form the United Way
of Perth -Huron.
At the UW annual gen-
eral meeting, held at the
Maitland Recreation Centre
October 21, Huron United
Way stakeholders voted to
dissolve the organization
and merge with Perth in an
effort to preserve the vital
community fundraising they
provide to programs such
as Big Brothers Big Sisters
and the Huron Women's
Shelter.
"It will free up funds
for Huon and cut costs of
administration," said
Jerry McDonnell, "We
will use this as a model
- how do we best serve
the community?"
In 2008, the United
Way had a deficit of
$68,599. The - 2008
campaign brought
in $177,349 though
with grants and other
fundraising events, the
total was upward of
$254,000.
The campaign itself
cost $16,019 and a few
hard-hitting expenses,
such as the $21,000
Noted! CD, tipped the
scales from black to
red on their year-end
ledger.
Also presenting
a challenge was the
stepping -down of past
executive -director for
Huron, Michelle Gal-
latly.
"Last year our new
executive director re-
signed in February,"
McDonnell said. "That
left us scrambling to
get allocations out:'
Thanks to the sup-
port of the Perth United
Way and executive di-
rector Ellen Blamain,
the Huron UW branch
was able to weather the
storm.
However, Balmain
said there was a lot of
public concern about the
merging of the two branches.
Huron residents wanted to
be sure their money stayed
within Huron County and
Perth residents the same.
Balmain allieviated con-
cerns, noting wherever the
money is raised is where it
is spent. Huron County will
have its own bank account,
as will Perth, effectively
separating incoming funds
between the two agencies.
But it wasn't an easy pro-
cess to decide on merging.
Balmain said the Huron
board has been meeting for
the past six months to see
how they could both reduce
their own costs and still of-
fer the same financial sup-
port they have given in the
past few years.
Elaine Osborne, director
of Big Brothers, Big Sis-
ters of North Huron, asked
whether or not there would
be a physical presence in
Huron, to which Balmain
answered, "Probably not"
"Maintaining a current
office - that's money that
could be allocated," she told
the room full of stakehold-
ers. "We want to reinvest
that money and by next
campaign have a chance to
decide what's next"
President and CEO of
United Way Canada, Al Hat-
ton, the meeting's keynote
speaker, said both Huron
and Perth should be com-
mended for the way they are
handling the merger.
He said while the UW is
undergoing major change
here, on a national scale, it's
"reasonably typical".
However, the most im-
portant thing for the United
Way to do, he said, is to
work to help out their home
communities.
"Having infrastructure
in every community is not
sustainable," he said. "The
genius of this is, in years
ahead it will be seenasa
stellar move"
Member Peggy Ireland
said there are other setbacks
to having one office for the
county as well.
'The Huron United Way
has become very Goder-
ich-centric," she said. "By
bringing in the degree of
professionalism and exper-
tise in Perth, we can operate
at a higher level and a larger
scale."
Still the backbone of the
United Way are payroll de-
ductions, however, with the
loss of significant manufac-
turing facilities throughout
the county, those too will be
reduced.
However, Balmain
stressed that any workplace
campaign that takes place in
Huron will stay in Huron.
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