United Way in Thunder Bay sets $2.65M fundraising goal for 2016

The Thunder Bay, Ont.,chapter of the United Way has set its fundraising goal for 2016.

At its annual campaign launch breakfast Thursday morning at the Valhalla Inn, officials with the agency told a packed ballroom of about 400 people that they're aiming to raise $2.659 million by December 31.

Fundraising efforts this year will include a new 'buck-a-day' initiative.

Finding new ways to encourage people to donate is something that long-time United Way volunteer Walter Flasza said is important.

"I think the catchy phrases and those things, what it helps to do is put things into perspective," he told CBC News Thursday morning, shortly after he was namedthe 2016 recipient of the Ross B. Judge Award of Excellence for his years of dedication and commitment to the organization.

"It's one thing to say I'd like $365, but it's another thing to say can you spare a buck a day, and it's for a really, really good cause."

United Way officials said the money it raisesgoesto 29 different organizations in Thunder Bay whichprovide a variety of different programs and services, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Thunder Bay, the local Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), and the northwestern Ontario Regional Food Distribution Association.

The launch breakfast also featured a promotional video with the theme of 'do you know what your donation looks like?' It was made up of people sharing their stories of how they've been helped by the United Way.

"Our annual goal is so much more than just a number," Mary McLellan, the co-chair of the 2016 fundraising campaign was quoted as saying in a media release issued in conjunction with Thursday's announcement.

"It's about the great impact in the lives of our local people."

In 2015, the local chapter's fundraising goal was also over $2.6 million.