Leadership donation of $100,000 from Huawei Canada will fund mental health and crisis supports, outreach services, and systems navigation in Eastern Ontario
As municipalities across Eastern Ontario and beyond begin to transition out of crisis response and into long-term recovery, United Ways in Eastern Ontario are looking ahead to support local residents after spring flooding.
Since the City of Ottawa and communities across Eastern Ontario issued a State of Emergency on April 25, United Ways were in contact with frontline agencies, municipal governments and partners to determine how spring flooding has affected different areas of the region, and what residents in those neighbourhoods will need to find stability after the water subsides.
United Ways will work with partners like the City of Ottawa, the County of Lanark, the City of Clarence-Rockland, the United Counties of Prescott-Russell, West Carleton Disaster Relief, Britannia Village Community Association, 211, Parents’ Lifelines of Eastern Ontario, Valoris, the Township of Champlain CEMC, the Town of Arnprior, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, Ottawa Public Health, The Salvation Army, and others to determine the areas of greatest need across Eastern Ontario.
“Just like we did after the National Capital Region was devastated by tornadoes last fall, now we are bringing key organizations together to support our local communities in diverse ways as we recover from the aftermath of the floods,” said Michael Allen, President and CEO of United Way Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark and Renfrew Counties.
“It is United Way’s role to help in times of need. As more and more natural disasters have affected our communities in recent years, we will continue to ensure vulnerable populations are not overlooked as we rebuild and recover over the long term.”
“After Dunrobin and Kinburn were ravaged by tornadoes last fall, United Way reached out and has made sure our community feels supported every step of the way,” said Angela Bernhardt of West Carleton Disaster Relief. “Now Constance Bay, Dunrobin Shores, Fitzroy Harbour and Vydon Acres in West Carleton are flooded. We’re grateful to be working alongside United Way again to support our residents on their long road back to normal.”
United Ways are committed to working together after events like this spring’s flooding, and we encourage others to join this collaboration. Donations to support long-term recovery can be made at www.afterthefloods.ca. Global information and communications technology firm Huawei Canada has committed a $100,000 gift to After the Floods to kick-start recovery efforts in Eastern Ontario.
“The team at Huawei Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with the United Way here in the Ottawa region,” said Alykhan Velshi, VP of Corporate Affairs for Huawei Canada. “Our donation of $100,000 is intended to assist with post-disaster relief efforts to help affected families in the Ottawa region return to their normal lives. We likewise have told the more than 300 Huawei Canada employees in the Ottawa region that they can take paid days off to volunteer in flood relief efforts. Huawei Canada looks forward to continuing to work with United Way on supporting our community.”
United Ways are present in our local communities 365 days a year to help the most vulnerable people. In the coming weeks, United Ways will collaborate with experts, municipal leaders, service providers and other funding partners. These parties will look at coordinating their investments and deploying resources to provide relief over the long-term. United Way will provide:
- Mental health support: so those struggling have access to counselling and crisis supports
- Systems navigation: help with navigating social and government services and disaster relief assistance
- Connection: reaching out to and assisting vulnerable seniors, who may be more isolated because of the floods
United Way invests resources where they are needed most and will have the greatest impact. Through research, evaluation and partnerships with community experts we identify the root causes of the biggest social challenges facing our community and help find solutions that change tens of thousands of lives for the better. One hundred percent of donations to United Way stay in their local communities to help those most in need.
