United Way of the Lower Mainland Campaign Takes Off at Jet Pull

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sept. 13, 2014) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

Today incredible things happened: 12 teams of 15 people each pulled a 757-200 jet weighing 127,900 pounds 50 feet down the runway in timed trials! It was man versus machine at the fundraiser tug-of-war hosted by UPS.

Although the jet didn't actually take flight, the event officially lifts off United Way of the Lower Mainland's annual fundraising campaign. A total of $12,500 was raised by UPS at the event.

United Way will be investing a total of $25.6 million into the community in 2014/15 to help children, families and seniors across the Lower Mainland: $5.5 million will be invested into programs and services for children age 0 to 6; $5.5 for programs and services for children age 6 to 12; $1.8 million will be invested in community building, and $12.7 million for programs and services for seniors, which includes funding for the provincial seniors program Better at Home.

"When you give to United Way, you are helping people right here in your community where you live, work, learn and play," says Michael McKnight, President & CEO, United Way of the Lower Mainland. "We use our collective strength to maximize our donors' dollars and multiply our impact to help build a better future for our community."

United Way is a charitable organization established over 80 years ago to support families, children and seniors in need. We are leaders in our field developing partnerships, tracking progress, and bringing the right people together to initiate change. UWLM funds 150 agencies throughout the Lower Mainland to deliver more than 450 programs and services. Last year, we helped 400,000 people in the Lower Mainland. For more information, visit www.uwlm.ca.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: www.marketwire.com/library/20140913-jetpull800.jpg.