January 29, 2004

Peel board donates more than $264,000 to United Way

Peel board students, staff and community partners raised over $264,000 for the United Way's 2003 campaign. Yesterday, the board held its annual awards ceremony to recognize the substantial contributions that schools and other board work sites made to the campaign. During the ceremony, Janet McDougald, Peel board's chair, presented a cheque to Marilyn Matthews, the United Way of Peel's campaign director.

"The spirit of our campaign reminds us that by working together we can help make a difference in the lives of young people in Peel," says McDougald. "It is truly rewarding to see staff, students and members of the community working together to support such a worthy cause."

The awards ceremony included the presentation of individual certificates to schools and work sites that supported the campaign. McHugh Public School was presented with the Harold Brathwaite award for running the most inclusive campaign for the second year in a row.

Notes Mary Beth Fortune, the board's United Way campaign chair, "Building healthy communities is everyone's responsibility. Giving to the United Way gives board employees an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the well-being of the children and youth with whom we work."

Peel District School Board serves 135,000 students in kindergarten to the end of secondary school. Operating 207 schools in the municipalities of Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga with an annual budget of $912 million, the Peel board is the largest employer in Peel. For more information, visit the board's web site at www.peelschools.org.

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Media contact: Mary Beth Fortune, Vice-Principal, Lorne Park Secondary School, 905-278-6177

Reference: Carla Pereira, School Communications Specialist, 905-890-1010, ext. 2626