Central & Northern Vancouver Island

Serving Central and Northern Vancouver Island, as well as Powell River and qathet Regional District. Encompassing a diverse and vibrant mix of people and cultures living in the regions, we work with communities to help them thrive.

We are excited to welcome Powell River & District United Way to the United Way British Columbia family!

Powell River & District United Way is the latest United Way to join our thriving organization. Covering Powell River and the qathet Regional District (qRD), the region includes five electoral areas and the City of Powell River in the traditional territory of the Tla’amin, Shíshálh, Klahoose, and K’ómoks First Nations. The jurisdiction includes Texada, Savary, and Lasqueti islands, north to Toba Inlet, and south to Saltery Bay.

As we work through the logistics and integration, we want to ensure the best fit and support for our new regional office and the communities it serves.

Whether in an urban centre or rural communities, United Way BC continues to seek ways to serve the people of our province and strengthen the vital connections that make our communities strong.

Local Impact

Learn more about the impact we’re making in the region.

Supporting children and youth mental health

Our School’s Out programs ensure vulnerable school-aged children in British Columbia have access to safe spaces where they can get the mental wellness and developmental support they need during the critical hours between 3 to 6 pm. In Central & Northern Vancouver Island over 160 children and youth benefitted from barrier-free programming that provides educational, cultural, and physical activities.

In 2023 a new School’s Out program began in Powell River to help children and youth develop positive social behaviours and lifestyles.

Tackling period poverty

By collecting and distributing 12,271 menstrual products in 2023 as part of the Period Promise campaign to help those who struggle to purchase products, break stigma, and raise the profile of the issue in our community. Some of the local agencies that received product donations from past Period Promise campaigns include the Forward House Community Society, Wisteria Community Association, Sage Haven, North Island Metis Association, Cowichan Green Community Foundation, and Ladysmith Family & Friends.

Expanding access to essential services

By facilitating the Transportation Assistance Program in Cowichan. Over 5,000 transit tickets were given out to our vulnerable neighbours to help provide access to food, medical, and counselling appointments, employment supports, children or senior services, and justice.

Investing in our communities

In Nanaimo, Cowichan, and Duncan, including Indigenous and urban communities, the Government of Canada’s Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy is investing $3.7 million in 2023 into homelessness services across the region. Funding is guided by two Community Advisory Boards comprising community members and leaders.

In Fall 2023, community consultations with local agencies were held in the Regional Districts of Cowichan, Nanaimo, qathet, Mount Waddington, Strathcona, Comox Valley, and Alberni-Clayoquot. With a trust-based philanthropic philosophy, we want to ensure we are supporting our communities in the best ways possible.