Manitoba Blue Cross celebrates a record United Way campaign

Manitoba Blue Cross is celebrating our most successful United Way campaign yet. After a full corporate match and partial match from Wawanesa, the overall community impact from our campaign is $106,000 — our highest ever.

"The United Way campaign is one of our largest fundraising events every year," said Stephen Wang, Manitoba Blue Cross Campaign Chair. "Employees from around the company volunteer their time — and their creativity — in making the campaign the success that it is."

Our campaign supports United Way Winnipeg, which helps over 200,000 Winnipeggers — around 30 per cent of the city's population — every year. Since we started fundraising, Manitoba Blue Cross has raised over $1.2 million.

"It just proves our employees' generosity and commitment," Stephen says. "They never cease to be invested in improving our community."

This year's sports-themed campaign was held over three days. The festivities kicked off on Wednesday, September 25 with a costume contest before transitioning to a presentation on United Way Winnipeg's impact.

Employees heard from United Way speaker Catherine Biaya, who fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo and sought refuge in Canada in 2007.

Catherine spoke of the profound impact that the United Way has throughout the city, noting that her initial success relied on the generosity of Winnipeggers who raised funds for the organization. She emphasized that giving to the United Way isn't just a donation — it's an investment.

Manitoba Blue Cross employees took that message to heart. The number of employees who donated at a Leadership level — at least $1,200 over a year — skyrocketed from nine last year to 17 this year.

"With over 90 per cent of employees making a giving decision this year, our support of the United Way continues to embody the Colour of Caring that Manitoba Blue Cross is known for," Stephen says.

After the kickoff, employees were invited to participate in a virtual reality demo, attempting to get the highest score in the rhythm game Beat Saber.

On Thursday, employees faced off in a pie-eating contest and food challenge, serving guest judges their best sports-themed dishes.

Friday saw employees hit the greens throughout the building in a nine-hole mini-golf course, which was handmade by committee volunteers, before heading outside for a free barbecue.

"I could not be prouder of our committee, who organized fantastic events throughout the week," Stephen says. "The time they poured into this campaign is a big reason why our participation rate was so high."

Thanks once again to everyone who made our United Way campaign possible!