Skip to content

United Way presents annual Spirit Awards in Abbotsford

Awards were presented in nine categories at a dinner at The Rancho
14595abbotsford_DSC1219
Gilligan's Island theme was a hit at the 2015 United Way Spirits Award banquet at the Rancho.

The United Way of the Fraser Valley (UWFV) held its annual Spirit Awards tonight (Thursday) at The Rancho, where recipients were honoured in nine categories.

The awards recognize individuals and businesses that support the work of the UWFV.

It was also announced that the annual fundraising campaign collected almost $868,000, surpassing the goal of $825,000.

One of the largest contributors was Brookside – Hershey Canada, which raised about $98,000, more than triple what they collected the previous year.

RBC and BC Hydro more than doubled their employee-giving campaigns.

The UWFV campaign runs annually from September to December, and 79 per cent of the funds come from employee payroll deductions. The rest comes from corporate donations, and a small percentage is from individuals contributing outside of a workplace program.

This year's Spirit Awards dinner featured a Gilligan's Island theme, with entertainment by the W. J. Mouat Secondary improv team.

The award recipients were:

* Campaign of the Year – Brookside – Hershey Canada Inc.;

* Leadership Campaign (more than 100 employees) – RBC Financial Group;

• Leadership Campaign (fewer than 100 employees) – Manning Elliott Chartered Accountants;

* Quantum Leap Spirit Award – Brookside – Hershey Canada Inc.;

• New Campaign of the Year – Concorde Distributing;

* Community Partner Campaign of the Year – Encompass Support Services Society;

* Employee Campaign Champion of the Year – Ryan Ward of Brookside – Hershey Canada;

* Regional Coordinator of the Year – Els Thune of RBC Financial Group; and

* Labour Participation Spirit Award – Fraser Valley Labour Council.