London, ON – On Thursday, May 13, 2010 close to 200 GenNexters (young professionals in their 20s and 30s) descended upon Club Mansion to network, bid on artwork and most importantly support their community.  The twist ~ guests bid volunteer hours instead of cash on artwork by emerging Canadian artists.

4,040 hours were raised in total, benefiting 21 local non-profit agencies ranging from the AIDS Committee of London to Youth Opportunities Unlimited.  Getting involved in the community isn’t always easy, but the GenNext Timeraiser, organized by volunteers, made it simple to find relevant and meaningful volunteer opportunities that fit GenNexter’s busy lifestyles. 

“We could not be more thrilled that the event exceeded its goal of 4,000 volunteer hours and it’s our hope that this event will be the beginning of a life-long volunteer journey for many of the GenNexters in our community,” says Andrew Lockie, CEO of United Way of London & Middlesex. “At United Way we believe that together we can do more than we can alone, and this event is proof of that; people coming together to make our community a better place for everyone.”

About Timeraiser
Timeraiser was conceptualized in 2002 in response to a group of friends wondering how it could be easier to find meaningful, relevant volunteer opportunities.  Now, 7 years and 17 Timeraisers later, this grass-roots initiative has flourished into a well-known, annual event that operates in 7 cities across Canada. Timeraiser has also played the role of catalyst by bringing the emerging concepts of community development to the audience of volunteers and agencies that participate in Timeraiser. Learn more at www.timeraiser.ca.               

About GenNext
United Way of London & Middlesex launched GenNext as an initiative to engage young people in their 20s and 30s to be more actively involved in shaping our community.  GenNext’s mission is to mobilize our generation to make a positive impact in our own community though awareness, involvement and giving.  Learn more at www.gennextuw.ca.

About United Way
The largest non-government funder of social services in London and Middlesex County, United Way creates real, lasting change to improve the quality of life of all people in our community. United Way identifies and understands the root causes of social issues; brings together research, experts and resources; initiates and invests in the most needed and proven programs; and develops leaders and skills to strengthen the non-profit sector. Learn more at www.uwlondon.on.ca.

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For more information, please contact:
Kelly Ziegner                                                      Christina Fox
Director, Communications                              GenNext Advisory Committee
United Way of London & Middlesex               cfox8uwo [dot] ca
519-438-1723 ext. 268
kziegneruwlondon [dot] on [dot] ca