Sara Stapleton is getting ready to graduate from Fanshawe College this year. Like a lot of 20-year-olds, she’s not completely sure what she wants to do, but she finds it rewarding to work with children.

Sixteen years ago, a doctor told Sara’s family that the effects of cancer treatments on her brain meant she was unlikely to ever earn a high school diploma. Sara turned that prediction upside down. She did it through hard work, determination, and help from a United Way-funded agency: the Learning Disabilities Association of London Region (“LDALR”). Last year, Sara graduated with a 90% in English and entered the Early Childhood Education Program at Fanshawe College.

Like United Way, the LDALR is committed to making sure every student has a fair shot – that they have the tools they need to succeed. For Sara, that help came in the form of tutoring, camps, and having someone in her corner when the going got tough.

In grade seven, Sara was hitting a low point at school. “I felt like an alien…like I wasn’t worth it.” Luckily, LDALR was able to help Sara’s teachers better understand her needs, and equipped Sara with the tools to advocate for herself.

Now, as a college student, when she meets a new teacher she says, “I’m Sara Stapleton. I have a learning disability, and these are the things that I need.”

Sara channels her positive memories while she is learning to be a teacher herself. “If I can help little kids be stronger and believe in themselves that’s such an amazing thing. I totally want to give them the same feeling that I had coming out of tutoring.”

Sara got her fair shot at succeeding in school because of the Learning Disabilities Association of London Region. United Way believes that everyone – from students to seniors to single parents – deserves that kind of chance. That’s why United Way advocates for and invests in the LDALR.

There is still so much need here in our community. Last year, one in five Canadians had to access a charity for basic needs like food or shelter. That’s why United Way prioritizes services that help reduce poverty and serve the populations most-affected by social
challenges in our region, including homelessness.

At the Street Level Women at Risk program (“SLWAR”), Women’s Advisory Group member Melissa says that “getting women into a safe environment is always the priority.” Ten years after receiving this kind of help herself, she’s now proud to be part of the advisory group that guides the program. Melissa says the program and its members are committed to doing “whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.” That kind of commitment pays off. A recent study found SLWAR had a 100% success rate in finding long-term housing for program participants.

To go beyond simply providing basic needs, the London Food Coalition has grown to include 25 partners who all work together to reduce food waste and distribute a rich variety of fresh and nutritious food through existing community services across London. According to Coalition President Tosha Densky: “Imagine the difference between offering someone a can of tuna compared to a bag of fresh apples is enormous…It’s about nutrition, it’s about health, it’s about vibrancy. And if we have the abundance, why in the world wouldn’t we share it?”

With your help, United Way Elgin Middlesex can keep investing in programs like these – programs that make a lasting impact and that get proven results. Together, we can give everyone in our community a fair shot at a good life.