Photo by Whitehorse Star
COMING IN – An Air North Boeing 737 lands April 29, 2015 at the Whitehorse airport. Inset Dion Zdunic
Yukoners determined to pull 95,000-lb. aircraft
Have you ever dreamed of pulling a Boeing 737 with 14 of your friends?
Have you ever dreamed of pulling a Boeing 737 with 14 of your friends?
That’s exactly what United Way Yukon is proposing for its latest fundraiser, Pulling Together.
The event will see Yukoners try their hand at pulling a 95,000-lb. Air North plane on Sept. 23 at the Whitehorse airport.
“Pulling a 737 is a ridiculous thing to do, and I think it would just be a pile of fun,” event chair Dion Zdunic said in an interview with the Star.
And funds raised from the plane pull will go toward the many projects in the Yukon that the United Way supports. The organization’s funding goal for this year is $175,000.
Those participating in the fundraiser can also win prizes.
Individuals who raised more than $125 in addition to the $65 registration fee by Sept. 8 have won a toque with the United Way logo.
And teams that have collectively raised more than $2,000 have won toques that also have their team name embroidered on them.
The top fundraising team and the team that pulls the plane the fastest will win a private party at The Deck at the Coast High Country Inn.
The Yukon Film Society will also be filming the fundraising event.
Zdunic said he was inspired after talking to the Calgary branch of the United Way, which had just completed its fifth plane pull.
“I thought that would be a fun thing to do,” he said. “United Way needs a way to increase visibility overall.”
The United Way Yukon holds a fundraising breakfast each fall.
But for the rest of the year, Zdunic said, people often aren’t aware of the work the organization does.
“It’s mostly to show the general public that the United Way works all year, and not just in October (frequently the breakfast month),” he said of the plane pull.
“The average person on the street doesn’t know what (the United Way is) doing, what they’re up to, where the money’s going.”
He explained that the United Way helps to fund locally focused agencies that may have more difficulty raising money than larger more well-known organizations.
Several agencies that United Way Yukon has supported over the years will have information booths set up at the plane pull so people can learn more about them.
Some of the 2017 projects that United Way helped support include purchasing medical equipment for the Yukon office of the Canadian Red Cross, The Big Brothers, Big Sisters mentoring program in Whitehorse, Watson Lake and Dawson City, and the Community Lunch Program at the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society of Yukon.
Zdunic said the 2018 charities will be decided next February, with funds being allocated in April.
People still interested in joining the plane pull can sign up their team or join as a sponsor online. The deadline for team captain registration was Thursday.
Tickets for the breakfast on Sept. 29 and more information on United Way Yukon can also be found on its website at www.unitedwayyukon.ca/.
Since 1995, the Yukon organization has raised over $2 million to support local charities.
Funding is focused on supporting programs which provide assistance to Yukon children, youth and families; respond to the needs of people living with disabilities; address alcohol and drug abuse; and seek to reduce the effects of poverty. Each year, United Way Yukon raises between $150,000 and $170,000.
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Comments (10)
Up 1 Down 1
jack on Sep 27, 2017 at 9:56 pm
United Way has an executive compensation committee.......need we say more?
Support local charities!
Up 1 Down 1
Dean LaRue on Sep 21, 2017 at 10:40 pm
UNITED WAY CEO made $1,236,611 American dollars in 2015 you say ?
If only I made 2% of that.
Up 4 Down 0
jack on Sep 21, 2017 at 12:31 am
Directly from United Way's website: https://www.unitedway.org/ceocompensation
''Brian Gallagher’s total compensation in 2015 was $1,236,611. This includes $532,028 in base compensation, $175,000 in bonus and incentive compensation (approved by the Executive Compensation Committee and Board of Trustees based on his successful performance of specific objectives), $142,553 in other reportable compensation, and $387,030 in health insurance and retirement benefits. For full details, please see Schedule J of IRS Form 990''
That's in USD$.
Our local charities do not behave like this, enriching their executive. Something is very very wrong here.
You decide, but sounds like a business to me.
Up 20 Down 2
Darrell Drugstore's smartest neighbour on Sep 18, 2017 at 3:11 pm
I give my donations directly to charities that I support.
I don't need to pay "middlemen" to do it for me.
Up 12 Down 6
Harley Shuster on Sep 18, 2017 at 6:24 am
I'm not surprised by these remarks. There is a lot of misinformation that has circulated over the years about United Way.
If you truly want to know what your local United Way has invested in, in your community, I encourage you to do some research. Contact the agencies that have been mentioned in this article. Ask them them, they partner with United Way. Go to the United Way website and look though their Annual Reports. Better yet, contact them directly.
Once you have real information, you can make an informed decision about whether or not to support your local United Way.
And finally, over the years I have been a member of Lions Club International, Optimist Club, and BPO Elks. The mission of each of these great organizations is very different than that of United Way.
Up 14 Down 8
jc on Sep 17, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Never mind the United Way. Give it to the Hospital Foundation. Much better investment for your buck.
Up 11 Down 6
David Whiteside on Sep 17, 2017 at 5:44 pm
As president of the board of United Way Yukon I feel compelled to help the people who have made comments above to understand our organization just a bit better. The information shared about the Lions is true and, as someone who works hard, and as a volunteer, I appreciate your support of their club and their efforts. The Lions work hard to help the community and should be praised for their efforts.
In case you click away early, I want to ensure quickly that you learn that you can go to the CRA website and check on the Yukon United Way (and every other charity and branch of the United Way), to see how we spend dollars donated. Here’s the link : https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/charities-giving/charities-listings.html
UWY has worked in the Territory for 23 years. During the decade that I have volunteered on the board, we have hired no full-time staff; but a few intermittent contractors and some part-time help. Much of this assistance was, up until two years ago paid for with a grant from YG. Recently, we have hired a part-time executive director. With the help of our corporate champion, Rich Thompson of NVD, many volunteers, and some new events, we hope to expand our campaign by more than the cost of this salary (which may give you an idea of the embarrassingly low amount of money we pay). All of this is done because the need in the Territory is real and we hope to be able to support more programs more fully in the next round of funding.
Each year we support around 20 programs and organizations with more than $100,000. Please see our website: https://www.unitedwayyukon.ca for a list and a readily available document that shows exactly how much each group receives. Most of the work done for United Way Yukon is done by volunteers like me, or at greatly reduced rates by supporters.
I feel pain for the volunteers who give their time and energy whenever someone comments about charities like ours without doing their research. It is unfair and, to me, undermines their work. If you are still reading, I thank you. There is a separate issue that is less about United Way Yukon and more about charities and giving that I would like to discuss quickly.
While we are currently paying our ED a very low salary, if that person were to grow in the job and prove his value to us it would be fair to compensate that effort. The belief that is supported by the online posts indicates that these people do not believe that someone who has chosen to work in the non-profit or charitable sector does not deserve a living wage. I suggest you watch the TED talk linked here to see how this is a failure of imagination. https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong
Also please investigate things you see on social media as much of it is untrue. Many of the opinions expressed by the above people likely stem from a Facebook post about Charitable CEO’s and their salaries that has been proven unfactual. If you check websites like SNOPES.com who investigate internet hoaxes you can see the factual research disputing these posts.
So we invite everyone to come watch the plane pull, and meet some of the agencies we fund, with the generous donations of community-minded Yukoners, to help them do the work, which is so important to so many of our most vulnerable.
Up 15 Down 4
Cot Harl on Sep 17, 2017 at 7:31 am
The lions and kiwanis bought kids hockey gear when i was a child.
I would love to know what the United ways last contribution to Whitehorse or the Yukon (besides political donations) was.
Up 14 Down 7
Just Say'in on Sep 16, 2017 at 1:58 pm
United Way is like a Vacuum that sucks up money that should be going to local Charitable organizations. It puts very little back into the community and when it does it is purely a cheque writing club in other words it is not hands on helping locals and building things just writing a cheque.
Compare this too Lions clubs that 100% returns to the community and the members are 100% volunteers.
Local Lions Clubs have hand built many playgrounds, Downtown splash Park, Maryhouse renovations, Braeburn Camp upgrades, outdoor skating shelters at community rinks, and thousands of individuals helped.
Governments and large corporations love the model of United Way as you give once a year and you can say we make all of our donations through the U. W. and then not be bothered again. All U.W. does is makes it impossible for Good Local organizations to get help from these big donors anymore. U.W. says they give to local organizations but they don't. They just suck up the money that others should get.
Please support local organizations like Lions, Elks, Kinsmen, Shriners, Rotary. These are the types of organizations to support, money stays local and no salaries.
Up 25 Down 5
jack on Sep 16, 2017 at 12:54 am
United Way is receiving much bad press on how little of your donation actually make it to the cause and how much of your donations is blown on salaries and expenses. While there is nothing wrong with giving to charities, United Way is run more like a business than a charity. Check out United Way's CEO 2016 compensation to see how much like a business it really is.
On the other hand, pulling the 737 looks like fun!