Participating in the On Track To Success program helped her to excel in her secondary school studies, says business major Julia Adu-Bobie.

“I moved to Canada at age 10 with my family. It was not easy growing up as an immigrant in a foreign environment, and my family and I have faced many adversities that have shaped who I am today,” she recalls.

“As a person who has become so independent through life experiences, it was very difficult for me to ask for help. However, through On Track to Success, I no longer felt the pressure to overcome challenges alone. The program created a safe space where I wasn’t afraid to seek help, whether it be for school assignments or determining a pathway after high school.”

With the support of the United Way program, a wrap-around intervention for high school students and their families, she graduated from Assumption College Catholic High School as an Ontario Scholar before beginning studies at the Odette School of Business.

“I was able to apply to scholarships and gratefully become a recipient of multiple awards that will help ease the financial burden of post-secondary education and allow me to focus on my academic success,” Adu-Bobie says. “Hopefully one day, I will be able to spread love and kindness to others as this program has done to me.”

That focus on a cradle-to-career approach to fighting poverty helped inspire Steve Karamatos, manager of technology and innovation in Information Technology Services, to donate to United Way.

“I remember them coming out with that a couple of years ago and it was really impressive, all the things they do for kids in preschool all the way up to adults,” he says. “It's a local charity, so all the money stays locally.”

The campus campaign for United Way has distributed electronic pledge forms to UWindsor employees and continues its 2024 fundraising effort this week with a series of free events:

• the Women United coffee break at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall;
• information sessions on “Why Donate to United Way” at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, through MS Teams;
• an online wrap-up at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, which will announce winners of incentive draws.

Find more details on the campaign website and download the virtual background and email signature graphics to show your support and raise awareness.