9 | Friday, J a n u a ry 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | w w w .insideH A LT O N .com United Way m erger aim s to improve fundraising and more by Carmela Fragomeni Hamilton Spectator w m m YangAccounting.ca CPA YY@YangAccounting.ca C R A R e-A ssessm en t A merger of four United Ways in Hamilton and Halton will lead to better fundraising and better help for the communities involved, says Jeff Vallentin, CEO of the Burlington and Greater Hamilton organization. Burlington and Greater Hamilton' s amalgamation with the Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills United Ways takes effect April i. The union will not result in job losses or salary reductions, including for the four CEOs of each, says Vallentin, but staff duties and responsibilities of the combined 41 people in the agencies will be reallocated. The merger, in fact, gives the new and larger United Way a better and more efficient way to use its staff, he said. It frees up staff who had the same duties to put more effort into fundraising and marketing, such as running special fundraising events or using social media more. "People will be deployed to more community-facing ... research work and fundraising activities," said Vallentin. The merger, however, will not change where the money raised will go. Money raised in Hamilton will stay in Hamilton to help its local agencies. Money raised in Oakville will stay in Oakville, and so on, says Vallentin. The new United Way a d m in is tra tiv e staff will ensure this, but volunteer a d v i s o r y committees in each community will also see to it that the money is allocated to Jeff Vallentin agencies where it | submitted photo will have the most impact in helping the poor and underprivileged. The new United Way Halton and Hamilton will have a single board of directors and a joint staff team. Once a new board is in place, it will choose a chair to lead it. Vallentin, CEO of United Way Burlington and Greater Hamilton, is acting as executive leader through the transition until the new board appoints a permanent CEO. O v e rd u e T a x R etu rn , A p p e a ls IR S N E W T a x T rea ty f o r C a n a d ia n Experienced Professional Services for Individual Business & Corporation (6 4 7 )9 8 9 -1 2 7 6 Y in g (K im b e rle y ) Y a n g 11-1155 North Service Rd. W, Oakville 18th Floor, 2 St, ClairAve.W, Toronto (2 8 9 )2 9 1 -3 9 2 4 (6 4 7 ) 2 5 5 -8 0 4 9 r W o rk in g f o r In d iv id u a ls a n d S m a ll B u s i n e s s e s Knowledge* Strategy PERSONAL INJURY COMMERCIAL LITIGATION L A W Y E R S ^ L L P EMPLOYMENT LAW &W SIB 1-888-880-7080 KELLYSINGHLAW.COM see Trend on p.10 1100 Burloak Drive, Suite 604, Burlington, ON L7L 6B2 Jo in u s fo r o u r O p e n H o u se ! S e e h o w in s p ir in g e d u c a tio n c a n b e ! S a tu rd a y Ja n u a r y 2 1 , 1 0 a m - 2 p m Students from Preschool to Grade 12 are invited to tour our 10-acre campus in southeast Oakville and meet our faculty and students. At St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School, your daughter will get the support she needs to become the confident young woman she is destined to be. Also, join us for an evening with best-selling author, speaker & relationship expert for Cityline and Good Morning America, Dr. Karyn Gordon. Dr. Gordon will be speaking on motivating kids and teens. Date:Tuesday January 24,2017,8:00 p m - 9 : 0 0 pm. Location: St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School To register, please visit our website and click on News and Events For more information about our upcoming events and programs, contact us at 905.845.2386 ext. 814 or myangosian@smls.on.ca or check our website: Inspired Girls. Empowered Women. www.smls.on.ca O ther u p com in g O pen House events: Feb. 3 | Feb. 17 | 9am - noon