Glen Vienneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 23/00) - Interest is high among non-profit organizations who are hoping to benefit from a Yellowknife chapter of the United Way.

"I think that any organization in Yellowknife is going to be willing to look at what they're offering," said Kathryn Youngblut of NWT division of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Although nine volunteers are gathering on Thursday in an attempt to form a United Way, it is premature for the association to decide whether it would become a member, said Youngblut.

The United Way has been successful in raising funds in communities across Canada for various non-profit organizations.

In Yellowknife, the first attempt to form the group was in 1992 and resurrected in the spring.

Chris Grant, president of the 1st Yellowknife Scouts, who also worked with a United Way in British Columbia for two years, believes extra funds received would help the scouting movement greatly.

Such funds could help offset the cost for trips for underprivileged scouts from poor families. If a chapter of the United Way stepped in, this could relieve some of the burden for the scouting groups and troops, he added.

"Children that don't have access to the same kind of funding or family support, they may be able to benefit from a United Way program," Grant said.

In the past, the scouts have been receiving a helping hand from the Elks Clubs and Yellowknife Lions Club.

The benefit of having a United Way is the one-time annual fund-raising campaign which could include a golf tournament and a door-to-door corporate campaign.

"They also do payroll deductions and things of that nature, which makes it quite easy for people to get involved," said Grant.

For Dave Taylor, zone commander for the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association of Yellowknife, the United Way is good news.

Although the association has not raised any funds in the past, any extra money would help with the purchase of marine radios and to fund the volunteer aircraft suppliers for the training missions.

"It might help if we increased those reimbursements rates," he said, adding that the use of aircraft for search and rescue training is more costly in the North.

The Yellowknife Association for Community Living believes having a United Way in Yellowknife may help with all their programs, said Miriam Wideman, executive director.

"All our programs could use extra money because we would just expand them if we had more money."

The association provides programs for those with intellectual disabilities such as a pre-employment and supportive employment programs.