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Wednesdsay March 22, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A3 New United Way CEO hooked on helping B y W ilm a B lo k h u is BEAVER FOCUS EDITOR A U nited Way cam p aig n has ch an g ed A lison P ic k a rd 's c a re e r path. "M y first cam paign was a real eye-opener," she explains. "I was fresh out o f university, but I soon learned that the U nited Way is well known, but not know n w ell." Since organizing that sm all office cam paign fo r the M etro Social Services in Toronto in 1984, Pickard has w orked to w ard s m aking the U nited Way better know n. And, she volunteered for a num ber o f cam paigns before m aking the U nited Way her career. Pickard is the new C EO - ch ief executive o fficer o f the O akville U nited Way, having accepted the position in early February. P rio r to jo in in g th e O ak v ille U nited Way, she was the fundraising m anager fo r the U n ited W ay's A reaw ide cam paign based at the U nited Way o f G reater T oronto's office. T h is c am p aig n allo c a te s funds to O akville, Peel R egion, York R egion, A jax, P ic k e rin g , and T oronto. T h ese allo c a tio n s com e from payroll deductions m ade by donors w ho w ish to have th e ir m oney fo rw ard ed to th e ir hom e com m unities. Pickard was fun d rais ing m anager for three cam paigns since 1997, realizing $19 m illion in total revenue as a result o f w hat she describes as a team effort. Alison Pickard ready for the challenge "I w orked with huge com panies, big banks and three levels o f gov ernm ent, (specifically), the Bank of N ova Scotia, Ford, CN Rail, Canada P ost, and th e O n tario Public Service." In addition to the em ployee pay roll deductions, the cam paign also included corporate donations. In 1998, she oversaw a cam paign that raised $4.7 m illion - 7% over target, established leadership cam paigns, realizing donations o f over $1,000 for public sector accounts, and increased donations by 71%. She consulted w ith 58 em ployee cam paign co-ordinators to achieve this goal. Pickard m oved a step closer to her personal goal o f w orking for the U n ited Way w hen she had the opportunity to work for the M etro Toronto U nited Way as a loaned rep re se n ta tiv e six years ago. She w orked as its project manager, plan ning, co-ordinating and im plem ent ing M e tro 's co rp o rate cam paign. W orking w ith 14,000 em ployees, she increased em ployee participa tion by 6% . Providing leadership to 26 d ep artm en t c o -o rd in ato rs and 350 canvassers, she surpassed the goal by $41,000, or 113%. Prior to jo in ing the U nited Way full tim e, Pickard w orked for M etro Social Services in Toronto for 13 years - 12 o f them as a casew orker with its M etro Housing Company, linking seniors living in the com m u nity with agencies. "I was fortunate to see work done by U nited Way agencies first hand," said Pickard o f her grow ing interest in the agency. "It's a cause I felt I could get involved in and feel good about. "I liked the work, and applied to the United Way of G reater Toronto and got hired for its A reawide cam paign." She believes cam paigns are suc cessful thanks to the "really dynam ic and creative people" who work and volunteer for the U nited Way. "The extroverts do the cam paign work, and the quiet ones do the mar keting and look after the inform a tion systems. "W ith the United Way, you work tow ards a goal and you see the results fast." M oney raised from the annual cam paigns is im m ediately forw ard ed to United Way agencies to meet current service needs. "T he agencies have to ju stify how th ey 're going to use the funds," explains Pickard. The agencies must present their funding needs to a citi zens review panel - all volunteers, and have their books checked by a chartered accountant, also working as a volunteer. Panel m em bers also visit the agencies to review needs. "T hese needs include looking after hom elessness, w hich has sky rocketed; child poverty, and kids going to school hungry," she said. "We help keep things together until people get back on their feet and get going again with their lives." Pickard sees O akville as a caring community. Last year, a record $3.3 m illion w as raised. She becam e fam iliar with O akville's cam paign through the U nited W ay's Areaw ide cam paign, and applied w hen the position of CEO becam e vacant. She was chosen from a field of more than 100 applicants. A lison Pickard: new CEO United Way o f Oakville. H ave Y ou G ot S pring F ever? NEW S p rin g H om e A ccessories J u st A rrived ! " F L O O RM O D E S A L E " tatV IC E· S E L E C T IO N. P R IC E B e st I n te r io r H om e F u r n is h in g s S to re 30-50% OFF ^ E s i& a o w ii W J jn ie x io % ^W aK £h& u& & "W here g o o d ta s te d o e sn 't h a v e to be e x p e n siv e " >/ 4 1 5 5 F a ir v ie w S t. U n i t 16, (in b e hind D airy Q ueen) B u r lin g to n ( 9 0 5 ) 6 3 4 - 3 4 3 9 HO U RS Mon-Wed 10-5:30, T h u rs-F ri 10-9, S a t 10-5:30, S u n 12-5 OTHS & U.S. counterpart use net to discuss youth issues something both groups believe in that went away," said Rachel Manno, 15, a Grade 10 OTHS student. The students have three months to complete Students at Oakville Trafalgar High School their assignments and, apart from that first meet (OTHS) are getting together with their American ing, will work through email and teleconferencing. While the students are only in the planning counterparts in a new twist on learning that extends stages, they are finding their assignments exciting. beyond the classroom. Two Grade 10 classes and one OAC class at "You get to see all the different points of view OTHS have joined together in a unique collabora that come up and because this project is over a tion with students from Pittsford-Sutherland High period of time we can come up with different School in Pittsford, New York to sources of information," said learn and teach others about inter The twinning o f the schools another Grade 10 OTHS stu national youth issues. w ill culminate in a two-day dent, 16-year-old Roslyn Peter. The innovative idea to twin The students particularly like OTHS with the American school, conference at the University o f that they are not just researching originated with the Canadian Toronto from May 31 to June the topics, but are able to Consulate General in Buffalo, 1,2000. There the students express their thoughts and ideas who selected the Oakville high from the two schools will get on the issues, as well, through school after viewing its website. mock debates, press confer The intent of the program is to together to make presentations ences, skits - however they wish get students from the two schools on their topics. to approach it. working together via the Internet Patrick Harris, 17, an OTHS on a variety of issues facing the youth of the world. OAC student, said his group will have a mock The twinning of the schools will culminate in a debate on the pros and cons of free trade; some two-day conference at the University of Toronto thing he thinks will give everyone a better under from May 31 to June 1, 2000. There the students standing of how NAFTA works. from the two schools will get together to make pre Students are already saying the experience is sentations on their topics. changing the way they think and affecting their "This is a wonderful occasion for students from future behaviour. two different countries, and two different education "Before I went on the trip, and before the twin al systems, to work together on issues that directly effect their generation," said Canadian Consul ning project I didn't know anything on landmines, General Mark Romoff whose office is spearheading but after the presentation it really made me more aware about how effective youth can be," said the project. A total of 140 students, evenly split between the Peter. "Everyone left there determined to make a two schools, are participating. change and spread their knowledge and sought to The students met each other for the first time in February to launch the project, entitled gain more awareness on these issues," added Nina, Globalization, Youth and Human Security, at 17, an OAC student at OTHS. "Everyone we Niagara-on-the-Lake; a mid-point between the talked to left there saying we have to do some thing." schools. After listening to a presentation by Canadian Youth Action Landmine Ambassador Rochelle Johnston on the elimination of anti-personnel landmines, the students split into groups of five, according to the topic they chose. The pre-chosen study topics included landmines, child conscription, child labour, war-affected children, technolo gy/media and global culture, global economy and popular global culture and the arts. "It's called a twinning project, but it is more a learning partnership between the two schools," said OTHS Principal Larry Dilanni. `T he intent is to engage the kids in both research discussion, investigation and eventually some kind of production of their research that will highlight what it is they've been engaged in." The bi-national twinning is also an exercise in learning how to deal with dif ferent points of view. OTHS Social Science teacher Kathleen Carroll, one of two teachers involved in the project, said experiences like these are invaluable. "Some of the issues like landmines, our government has signed the treaty whereas the Americans haven't, so the kids have to look at both sides of an issue and be able to analyze and be critical thinkers, as well as have affirmative action about a course they get on," said Carroll. "It was cool, because they had their views and we had ours, so we could dis cuss them," said 15-year-old Maria Gandolfo, a Grade 10 OTHS student. Still, it did take a while for the two groups to get comfortable with each other. "There was segregation at first, and I think they were a little shy - we both O rig in a l in Ford C o u n try were - but once you get talking about By Sandra Omand SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER magine a whole new w ireless company. Cantel is now Q ro g ers ip A rcr. im a g in e lim ited tim e o ffe r 35 DIGITAL MOTOROLA STARTAC 7797 fo r 150 m in u te s w eekday/w e eknight & 1000 weekend m inutes MOTOROLA STARTAC 3000 w ith VIBE $ 49 3105 Dundas St. W., Unit 102 Mississauga, Ont. . s $ 149 1027 Speers Rd., Unit 22 Oakville, Ont. 'After $50 mail-in rebate. Applies as a $50 credit on future Rogers AT&T monthlybill. Offer expires March 31, 2000. Offer applies 9-year term plans starting from $35/mortfh. Applicable taxes are extra. System Accessflnitiation Fees may apply. TMRogers Communications Inc. Used under Licer License ®AT4T Corp. Used under License 270 North Service Rd. W., Unit C6 Oakville, Ont. 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