Workplace spotlight

Passionate about our community

What Wendy Loiselle likes most about her job is that it allows her to get into the community and make a difference. Working in Corporate Affairs at Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), she assists with communications, corporate giving and community engagement. A large part of her time is spent organizing WEG's annual United Way Campaign.

"When I first started in corporate affairs, I didn't know anything about United Way. I just knew it was something that was important to our corporation, and felt it should be important to me too," Wendy explains. "What I found is that the more I learn about United Way, the more I support their work and the more I feel compelled to help."

Wendy's work also involves reaching out and supporting people in the local neighbourhoods where WEG does business. WEG has formed strong community partnerships with two local United Way agencies: Community MicroSkills Development Centre and Albion Neighbourhood Services, notably funding Albion's summer camps.

"When I started meeting with local agencies, I found that what kept them going—the glue that kept them together—was United Way. Without it, these organizations that do such great work every day could not survive."

When asked why she gives to United Way, Wendy spoke of United Way's commitment to advancing public policy issues. "United Way sits at some very important tables, where decisions are made that will affect us all. I am grateful to United Way for giving the community a voice."

Wendy loves the city of Toronto, where she has spent many of her working years. "Toronto is a great city, one we can all be proud of. And its communities are built by people who care about other people—and that's what United Way is all about.

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» Wendy Loiselle was the featured Workplace Spotlight in our quarterly newsletter, Community Matters: Summer 2009

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Dave Robitaille: Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs Manager, IBM

Dave Robitaille is the very definition of a good corporate citizen. A dedicated employee of IBM since 1990, he manages employee giving, oversees the IBM Employees Charitable Foundation, builds partnerships with not-for-profit organizations across the country and coordinates technological consulting endeavours by IBM staff for these organizations.

Dave works every day to ensure that his company goes beyond chequebook philanthropy and supports the communities in which its employees live and work. Because over 50 per cent of these employees reside in the GTA, a big part of Dave's job is working with United Way Toronto. For over twenty years, IBM has annually contributed hundreds of thousands in cash services and technology solutions to help United Ways across Canada.

This year, IBM is participating in the development of a database of information on priority neighbourhoods to support the work of United Way's Action for Neighbourhood Change initiatives. Dave is also overseeing a switch at IBM from their traditional payroll donation program to the "@ work tool", a web-based United Way application which facilitates the process of online giving. In addition to these things, he is managing their annual workplace campaign.

When asked "why United Way?" Dave explained: "It is incredibly important that we fully support the work that our partners do and United Way is an effective and widely respected organization." IBM trusts us to continue to help the communities that matter most to its employees. Dave, who through his work has garnered various accolades for IBM's corporate citizenship program, is an asset to his organization, to United Way and the entire community.

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» Dave Robitaille was the featured Workplace Spotlight in our quarterly newsletter, Community Matters: Fall 2008

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Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

"At Fairmont our mission is to 'Turn moments into memories for our guests,'" says Amanda Holmes, Manager, Campus Recruitment and Graduate Relations, one of Fairmont's Employee Campaign Chairs. "We wanted to create that same experience for everyone that got involved in the campaign." And that they did. Fairmont's team efforts to create an unforgettable 2007 campaign were successful. They exceeded their campaign goal and both Amanda and co-worker Stephanie Mashtaler were nominated for the 2007 Employee Campaign Chair Spirit Award.

Campaign achievements were attributed to a number of initiatives: agency speakers that brought United Way's work to life, payroll giving, which provided "the most bang for the buck," and the strong support of senior staff, who ensured employees were personally invited to events. Throughout the campaign, Fairmont also generously matched each and every campaign donation 100 per cent.

"United Way is our charity of choice, which is why we match dollar
for dollar," says Carolyn Clark, Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Fairmont's support of United Way for the last 25 years is part of their strategic plan for giving back, which includes partnerships with key organizations that are making an impact in the city. "Our company is part of the local community where our hotels are located…. It's important for our organization to play a leadership role in our communities, to have a strong presence," says Carolyn. "Everyone should have a level playing field," adds Amanda, "and the same access to help no matter what neighbourhood you come from."

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Fairmont Hotels & Resorts was the Workplace Spotlight in our quarterly newsletter, Community Matters: Summer 2008