Programs Currently Funded: 2010-2011
Child & Family Services, Elspeth Reid Family Resources Centre & Pre-School Enrichment Program
A focal point in our community where families work to learn how to meet their own needs, how to be good parents, how to work on their personal self esteem issues. The Elspeth Reid Family Resource Centre offers a safe and positive atmosphere for first time, low‐income mothers. First time fathers can go to the Centre and enroll in parenting classes as well without worrying about being ridiculed. There is no government funding available for programs that the Centre runs; they depend on annual United Way support and other public contributions to keep the Centre alive and operating. United Way also funds the Pre-School Enrichment program-one that serves as a very important Head Start program for children who because of their parents’ financial resources limitations cannot give their children the start in life that they need.
2010 Investment: $37,000
2011 Investment: $45,000
CNIB-WEST District, Rehab And Special Equipment Services
Committed to assisting people who are blind, and/or visually impaired in dealing with the many challenges of living in a sighted world. Services funded by United Way include counseling, orientation and mobility, career and employment services, adaptive independent living skills services. Lowvisions services, library services, assistive technology assessment; training and peer support. CNIB is an agency that provides excellent service to their clients both in Brandon and throughout the West District. Currently United Way of Brandon funding impacts in excess of 163 clients right here in the city of Brandon.
2010 Investment: $20,000
2011 Investment: $20,000
Canadian Red Cross Society, Brandon Branch
Provides services both locally and internationally; these include disaster preparation and programs that re‐establish contact between loved ones separated by disaster, war or other difficulties as well as the promotion of humanitarian values and law. The first United Way funded program is. “Just in Case”; provides disaster/emergency preparedness for senior citizens & other isolated members of our community in times of dire circumstances. The second United Way funded program is called “Smart Start”. This program provides community access to first aid training, for newcomers to our community and immigrants and refugees.
2010 Investment: $15,000
2011 Investment: $10,000
Brandon Family YMCA
The Before & After School program has been running in schools in the Brandon School Division since its inception in 1999. The program provides a safe, supervised location for children in their neighbourhood school. It supports families by providing peace of mind to parents knowing that their children will be well cared for when parents are required to be at work early or stay later.
2010 Investment: $55,000
2011 Investment: $50,000
The John Howard Society, Youth Anger Management
United Way program funding works very hard to ensure that counseling, support and educational programs for victims of crime are our #1 priority. Funding is directed at the Youth Anger Management program. The agency also provides educational programs for offenders, ex‐offenders and their families. John Howard also provides Westman Mediation Services which is a very popular restorative justice program.
2010 Investment: $18,000
2011 Investment: $18,000
Sexuality Education Resource Centre (SERC), Teen Mentoring Program
The Centre promotes understanding of sexual and reproductive health through education and teen mentoring programs. Programs include the Facts of Life program, a resource library and an education service for teens. The work that SERC staff and trained volunteers do in our school system and community is exceptional. United Way funding specifically provides for the Teen Mentoring program and Leadership program which not only provides students with a knowledgeable and factual resource, but teens of their own age who will mentor them through the challenging high school years.
2010Investment: $13,000
2011 Investment: $13,000
Food For Thought, Lunch And Emergency Snack Program
This program is directed to children of K to 8. Currently the program is run in 15 schools in the Brandon School Division. Students are provided with breakfast and emergency snacks at 8 of the 15 sites. Volunteers from a variety of workplaces serve at the program sites. Part‐time co‐coordinators are responsible for the program in each school.
2010 Investment: $14,000
2011 Investment: $15,000
The Counseling Centre, Subsidized Counseling Services
United Way funding allows the centre to offer subsidized professional counseling to those who cannot afford the normal fee. The Centre also offers some educational special interest workshops. Throughout 2009‐10 the centre has seen their request for service increase and with a very active group of newcomers to our community, it has been challenging trying to find translators so that clients can use the center’s services in their own language. Privacy issues makes it very difficult for the centre to be able to do this.
2010 Investment: $15,000
2011 Investment: $20,000
COR Enterprises Inc, Vocational Training & Supported Employment Program
This agency works to enhance the lives and status of people who live with an intellectual and/or physical disability and their families by promoting full inclusion, support and acceptance by our community. COR provides opportunities for clients to learn new skills to move them towards independence, greater self‐sufficiency as well as creating opportunities for socialization, learning and referral services.
2010 Investment: $25,000
2011 Investment: $26,250
Westman Hospice, Volunteer Training
Westman Hospice is the link to quality end‐of‐life care, providing access to comprehensive, coordinated and high quality palliative care and bereavement services. Hospice is a registered charity that provides an additional community resource for persons living with a terminal illness, and their families and friends. Hospice outreach encompasses a program of palliative and supportive services that provides physical, social and spiritual care for individuals who are living with a terminal illness, their families and friends. Hospice volunteers provide services that are supportive in nature with the emphasis on “compassionate care”, providing comfort and enhancing quality of life.
2010 Investment: $12,000
2011 no funding request
Learning Disabilities Association-Brandon Chapter, Information And Referral Services
Provides information, referral, and support for individuals with learning disabilities and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as well as to their families and the professional community. Programs include services for individuals newly diagnosed, support groups, and a resource centre with a wide variety of current resources in their lending library.
2010 Investment: $15,000
2011 Investment: $16,800
Samaritan House Food Bank And Resource Centre, Food Hamper Program
A focal point in the community where individuals and families work to meet their own needs-get help with resume writing, employment skill development, interviewing skills and help with literacy issues can all be found at Samaritan House. In 2011 as well as funding the food hamper program, United Way funding is provided in support of a new Holistic Approach to Employment readiness for those people struggling with accessing and maintaining employment.
2010 Investment: $25,000
2011 Investment: $45,000
YWCA Brandon, Meredith Place Transitional Housing
Meredith Place provides safe, supportive, accommodation to women and men in need of low cost, usually short term, supervised room and board. The YWCA also provides care for some clients with higher needs, such as resume writing, job search skills and support. The YWCA is very vocal when it comes to issues negatively affecting women and their children.
2010 Investment: $40,000
2011 Investment: $47,500
The Compassionate Friends, Brandon Chapter
The grief-counseling program aids families in building a nurturing network and to learn the necessary coping skills as they progress through their grief. The Compassionate Friends is a unique organization that no one wants to join. There are no membership fees – the price of membership is the death of a child, which makes our organization the most expensive membership in the world. The Compassionate Friends, an international, nondenominational, non-profit, volunteer self-help organization, offering friendship, understanding, grief education and HOPE for the future to families who have experienced the death of a child at any age, from any cause. The Brandon branch is going through some restructuring
changes to increase service delivery and United Way is very supportive of that.
2010 Investment: $10,000
2011 Investment: $10,000
Big Brothers & Sisters, Traditional Match Program
Initiates and supports relationships between volunteers and children/youth in need of friendship, support and guidance. Volunteers serve as friends and role models, helping children and youth gain greater self‐confidence and self‐esteem. “Bigs” encourage “Littles” to realize their full potential and to see a way towards having happy and successful futures.
2010 Investment: $15,000
2011 Investment: $15,000
The Women’s Resource Centre. Information And Referral
Assists women to gain control over their lives, break the cycle of poverty and abuse to achieve more independence. The Centre offers individual and group counseling, learning and volunteer opportunities, skill development for local women along with crisis counseling, and referrals. The Centre also has a safe drop‐in area for women and their children, run a free second hand clothing exchange, and employment preparation programs.
2010 Investment: $10,000
2011 Investment: $23,333
Security Blanket Providers (individual child’s quilts)
This program offers volunteer quilted blankets to children who have been exposed to violence in their home. This program delivers over 100 specially made blankets a year to children in Brandon. Because the blankets are quilted with input from the
child, it greatly improves their feeling of self-worth, perhaps helping to bring the cycle of family abuse to an end.
2010 Investment: $7,000
2011 Investment: $7,000
Westman Immigrant Services Inc.
Is a not-for-profit registered charity that provides a broad range of quality, client-focused, integrated settlement assistance services to immigrants in Brandon including language training, employment services, and assistance with cultural and social adaptation in order to ease the transition from their country of origin to Brandon and the Westman area. Specifically United Way funds the “Brandon Community Language Centre Interpreter Training”.
2010 Investment: $22,500
2011 Investment: $22,500
Helping Hands Soup Kitchen
The Centre serves a hot lunch five days a week to people of all ages. Guests include: seniors, mentally and physically challenged, the impoverished working and subsidized families, those who are unemployed as well as those not able to find employment, single parent families, and a growing number of children and youth.
2011 Investment: $15,000
Youth For Christ
United Way funding provides for new neighbourhood literacy focused after‐school and evening programming for area youth. Program creates a literacy rich environment, emphasizes one-to-one tutoring with trained adult volunteers, provides healthy food options, opportunities for parents, teachers and volunteers to interact and so much more.
2011 Investment: $30,000
Westman Asphasia Support Project
This new community project will receive funding from United Way in 2011 for 3 programs; “Supported Conversation for Adults with Asphasia”; volunteer training and general support of “Takes 2 to Tango”.
2011 Investment: $14,500
Family Visions Inc
Family Visions Day program provides a variety of meaningful activities and support services for up to 20 clients who live with a mental disability. Much of the client’s time is spent socializing, developing life‐skills, and participating in community‐based recreational outings or volunteerism.
2011 Investment: $6,480
Community Response Grants
2010 – funding provided for one time projects, testing of new program
or an urgent/emergent unforeseen circumstances in any not for profit organization in Brandon. The following organizations received Community Response Grants in 2010.
- West Region Child & Family Services – $10,000 in support of a Family conference.
- Manitoba Farm & Rural Stress Line – $10,000 in support of the Farmer to Farmer Suicide Line.
- Brandon Inter-Agency FAS Committee – $2,000 in support of the "e;
- Knox United Church – $2,500 in support of English Language summer camp for newcomer children.
- Dakota Ojibway CFS – $2,000 in support of their cultural camp.
- Crocus Plains High School – $1,500 in support of their distance student snack and lunch program.
- Samaritan House Ministries – $2,500 in support of an engineering study of their building heat and air systems towards reducing utility costs.