August 19th, 2026
Going Back to Hello: Building Community Together in 2025–26
By: The Community Engagement Team (Kerry Cressman, Avishka Juta and Lisa Stanley)
2025-26 was another exciting year for the Community Engagement Team! We’ve enjoyed connecting with people and families, direct support professionals, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and the wider community.
After three successful online auctions in 2021, 2022, and 2024, we were thrilled to bring back our Bidding to be #BetterTogether online auction. From April 21 to May 2, 2025, 726 bids were placed on 144 items, raising $10,953 in support of our Community Development initiatives — work grounded in belonging, community, equity, and relationships across Waterloo Region. #BetterTogetherWR reflects the generosity of our bidders, donors, and returning event sponsor, Josslin Insurance. Thank you for being part of it!
All-Brite Glass and Tint’s bi-annual Chip in for Charity event continues to be a favourite in the community!
We enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new people at our June and October events at two locations – Kitchener (31 Manitou Drive) and Waterloo (615 Davenport Rd). Thank you to Terry Aivaliotis and his team for their continued generosity and support of EAFWR and our Community Development initiatives.
In September, Walk‑or‑Wheel (WOW) brought our community together over two weeks of pledge‑based fundraising, supporting inclusion and belonging while participants engaged in activities at home and across the region.
At our WOW Celebration, marking the end of the fundraising, participants walked, ran, and wheeled through the Midtown neighbourhood. Our celebration continued at the WALES building with interactive family friendly fun stations hosted by our teams and partners. We raised a total of $13,286, a reflection of the spirit and generous nature of our community.
Our social media presence continues to grow across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We’re grateful for the connections we’ve made and the opportunities to share about who we are, what we do, including being interviewed by Chris & Cam on their show, “What’s Buzzin’” on Rogers TV in May 2025. We had a blast!
Throughout the year, the Community Engagement Team has focused on bringing people together — creating moments of connection, sparking generosity, and strengthening community. In many ways, this work is about “going back to hello”: building relationships, opening doors, and inviting people to be part of something meaningful.