31 Aug Overdose Awareness Day
All too often, when we discuss deaths due to overdose, we treat the victim as a statistic....
Educational
22 Feb Today we wear pink shirts
Today we wear pink shirts in recognition of “Anti-Bullying Day”. “Anti-Bullying Day”, or “Pink Shirt Day”, began in Canada when two Nova Scotian teens, Travis Prince and David Sheppard, noticed that a classmate was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt....
26 Jan By giving to your United Way, YOU are making a difference.
To our donors, thank you. Without your ongoing financial support we would not be able to carry out our charitable mission across Simcoe, Muskoka, and the Town of the Blue Mountains. Thank you for sharing your “local love”....
14 Nov Living Wage Week 2022
This week is #LivingWageWeek. A living wage is defined as the hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their basic expenses and participate in their community. This is different than minimum wage – minimum wage is the minimum that an employer can legally pay...
17 Oct Keeping the Lights on
When resources are limited, households are faced with the dilemma of whether to make rent/mortgage payments, purchase groceries, or pay their utility bills. When the alternative is the risk of homelessness or your family going hungry, more and more households are finding themselves falling behind...
08 Sep Overdose Awareness
On Wednesday August 31st, over 130 people came to learn, be inspired, and help break down the stigma around overdose. It was International Overdose Awareness Day, a day to remember, without stigma, those who have died, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends...
28 Apr Social Isolation – A Facet of Poverty
Social isolation is a devastating yet sometimes invisible facet of poverty. Now, during the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects that social isolation has on individuals experiencing it have become magnified. What is Social Isolation? Social isolation is the state of being cut off from...
23 Mar The Agencies Spreading Hope
United Way Simcoe Muskoka’s Urgent Needs Fund, like all our programs, serves a large geographical area. Our communities include everything from the Town of Blue Mountains to Huntsville, from Penetanguishine down to Bradford—and everywhere in between. With such a large area, the Urgent Needs Fund needed...
05 Mar The Impact of the Urgent Needs Fund
The Urgent Needs Fund has been assisting residents of Simcoe Muskoka living in low-income households and has been filling the needs-services gap that threatens to entrench people further into poverty since October 2019. Hundreds of recipients have benefited from the Urgent Needs Fund to meet...
02 Mar What is the Urgent Needs Fund?
Launched in October of 2019, United Way Simcoe Muskoka’s new Urgent Needs Fund has been assisting residents across Simcoe Muskoka with modest, one-time grants to overcome the everyday obstacles that poverty makes more difficult. In its first five months, the Urgent Needs Fund has already helped...