Join The Everyday Heroes

Help fight poverty.

Everyday Heroes come from everyday places: offices, classrooms, the coffee line-ups on campus. What makes them heroic? They give their time and money to help others in need.

Donate Today

Poverty affects us all

Poverty costs Alberta $7.1–$9.5 billion every year. We could save those funds if we prevented poverty instead of trying to treat the symptoms. When we allow poverty to exist in our community, it negatively affects the systems that we all rely on.

People living in poverty are more likely to require greater medical services due to chronic health issues. They are more likely to have mismatched education and literacy skills for quality employment, resulting in fewer opportunities for them to contribute to the overall economy.

These challenges can lead to activity that is criminalized like getting on a bus without paying or being issued a ticket for having a homeless encampment. When people can’t pay these types of fines, it can result in further pressure and costs to our justice and social service systems.

Low-income individuals and families often find themselves locked in their situation with few opportunities to change it without wrap-around supports that address their complex needs. Poverty requires us to work together to find lasting solutions.

How you can make a difference

Despite the extreme struggles of the pandemic, this crisis has shown us what is possible when we band together to help one another. As an organization working to address local poverty, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region has been able to rally governments, schools, companies, nonprofits, and caring individuals together to provide their neighbours with a life vest to weather this storm.

Also during this crisis, EndPovertyEdmonton has seen more of our community come to the table to enact innovative solutions that will both help those currently experiencing poverty and prevent people from falling into it at all. It has been truly inspiring to see what our community is capable of when we unite to do local good. Learn about Community-University Partnership (CUP) and Institute for Sexual Minority Studies & Services (iSMSS), two U of A programs that benefit from United Way funding.

How to help

Give

You can help improve the lives for more than 135,000 people in the Edmonton area who live in poverty by donating to the U of A's United Way fundraising campaign. Last year the U of A raised $495,372 to help those supported by the United Way Capital Region.

Share

Poverty isolates people from their community. Let those in need know that they aren't alone by showing your support and sharing their stories of survival and triumph. Spread the word about the campaign and the work being done to address poverty.

Donation Matching Program 2021

  • New Everyday Heroes, donating between $365 and $1199, will see their gift matched dollar-for-dollar.

  • Existing Everyday Heroes who lift their gift up to $1199 will see the difference of their increase matched.

Have Questions?

For more information, please contact:

Darlene Bryant
780-492-6892
dbryant@ualberta.ca

Impact

Making a difference for the community

The United Way is an effective fundraiser for charities in our community, but it also creates collaboration among community partners who are focused on solving the underlying causes of poverty. The U of A and United Way work together in that effort and the results affect people throughout the university community.

Solving poverty needs all hands on deck, advocates say

Public health research by Maria Mayan and her team is informing EndPovertyEdmonton’s work. What you buy and who you hire can drive social change. One in 10 Edmontonians — or nearly 120,000 people — experience poverty, and it’s more likely for women, racialized individuals, Indigenous people, single adults and single parents. Up to 70 per cent have work, but not enough to pay for their basic living costs.

Learn More

Events

U of A Forestry Society Christmas Tree Sale

We are pleased to announce that we are hosting our annual tree sale once again starting December 1, 2023! Coats for Kids and Families boxes will also be there for donations. Hope to see you there!

More Information

Daily Grind United Way Fundraiser

Stop by the Daily Grind on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 and get your morning pick-me-up and support a great cause at the same time!
All drip coffee sales will be going towards supporting the United Way.

Are you interested in hosting your own fundraiser to benefit United Way? From hosting a theme party to having a raffle draw to a neighbourhood fun run, the options are endless! Contact Beth Kent for more information.

Your generous spirit provides struggling families and children in our community with the help they need.

Thank you for your support.

Your generous spirit provides struggling families and children in our community with the help they need.

Thank you for your support.

Have Questions?

For more information, please contact:

Beth Jody Kent
780-970-1247
ekent1@ualberta.ca