GUELPH – Ray Stultz will step into the role of 2023 campaign chair of United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin, leading a group of dedicated community leaders in the fall to raise millions of dollars to support local social services in our community.
“Being involved and giving back to my community has been a passion of mine for the past 25 years,” said Stulz in a press release.
RAY STULTZ
“From KidsAbility to the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington to the Grove Hubs, I have learned a great deal about the needs that exist and that has fueled the spirit of being better than the day before.
“When I was approached to take on this role, I knew it was a fabulous combination of that passion for community and my professional experience in the financial services industry.
“Helping everyone to make our community better will be exciting.”
The 2023 Campaign Cabinet includes more than a dozen community leaders from all industry sectors, including manufacturing, business and finance, education and public.
These volunteers provide leadership to the overall campaign, assisting with direction and community engagement.
“We are thrilled to have Ray join the team this year,” said United Way executive director Glenna Banda.
“Having worked with Ray before, I know his proven passion for our community and his energy will have a positive impact on the campaign. Ray’s knowledge of our community as a whole will be a tremendous asset, and we look forward to learning from him as well.”
United Way is the second largest funder of social service programs in Canada, second only to government.
Thanks to generous donors and partners, United Way is creating change on key social issues such as food insecurity, homelessness, mental health and isolation, investing close to $1.6 million in critical services for over 90,000 residents across Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin in 2022.
The 2023 United Way campaign will be critical to our community’s ability to continue to recover from the pandemic, as well as meet the increased needs many are facing.
At the end of 2022, United Way’s 211 helpline showed calls up across the board– 19 per cent for assistance with food, 16 per cent for housing and shelter, and a staggering 34 per cent for mental health counselling.
“Every year we start at zero and look to raise millions of dollars to maintain our support to our community partners,” said Banda.
“Many of the programs and services our community reaches to are funded by United Way and without our community’s help, they may not be there when someone in crisis needs them.”
The 2023 United Way Campaign will kick-off in September.
Donations are accepted year-round through the United Way office (519-821-0571 or www.unitedwaygwd.com) and at workplaces across Guelph and Wellington and Dufferin counties.
Donations, as always, will stay 100% local.
