By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON March 19, 2013 It is usually the city of Burlington handing out an award for something. At times one gets the impression there is a department that does nothing but think of people an award or a certificate can be given to.
But last night it was the city that got the award – given to them by the United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton . City Hall staff were the recipients who last night were represented by Wendy Hough, one of the brains in the IT department. It was nice to see the people who do the work get the credit.
When it matters, city hall staffers put their backs into it. Community building at its best.
Len Lifchus, Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton, gave the city the Arcelor Mittal Dofasco community award, which in the past has been given to Scotia Bank, Mohawk College, the Spectator and CUMIS; nothing shabby about that crowd.
Lifchus advised Council that he had recently moved to Burlington, which will certainly add to our heft as the second best place to live in Canada, and told city council that Burlington city hall staff had donated more than $985,000 to the United Way in the past ten years.
Council learned as well that many city hall employees that receive service awards donate the value of that award to the United Way.
City hall staff are usually the kick off point for the Burlington United Way campaign each year when they block off part of Brant Street and literally pull a heavy truck or some other heavy piece of equipment down the street. The city departments compete with each other for the shortest pull time. One year the Planning Department had two teams on the street.
Staff gets a bit of a break from their work and set the tone and the pace for the campaign in the city. There is no shortage of criticism about what city hall staffers don’t do – which for the most part are unfounded. The kick off United Way event put on by the city hall staff is the first steps in a campaign that is much-needed in this city. All those civil servants deserve the award they were given by the United Way last night.
Good on all of you.
