History and Mission
The United Way of Saskatoon & Area came into existence in 1959 as the result of a partnership agreement between the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the Saskatoon and District Labour Council. Business and labour leaders came together to form the United Way because they saw the need for the community to collectively identify human service needs and raise funds to address them. The United Way of Saskatoon & Area continues to represent this partnership of business, labour and community agencies.
Today, the United Way's mission is, to improve lives and build community by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action. Our primary role is still to raise funds from the community and invest them in agencies that provide a wide range of high quality human services to meet the needs of our community. In addition, the United Way is active in the community, working with individuals and groups to identify human service issues and develop common strategies for addressing them. The United Way is a community builder as well as a funder.
The United Way of Canada - Centraide Canada is a movement of 126 autonomous United Way agencies located in communities large and small across the country. Born out of a "community collective" philosophy that began in the US in the late 1800s and emerged in Canada in 1917, the organization raises money through community initiatives and reinvests the funds back into the community where they are most needed. Every year, each United Way signs a membership agreement with the United Way of Canada - Centraide Canada which confirms the mutual obligations of both parties. In addition, each United Way that signs a membership agreement pays an annual membership fee to the UWC-CC.
Mission
United Way of Saskatoon & Area's Mission is to improve lives and build community by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action.
