RICHARD Fletcher wonders what his life would have been like if an organization like the United Way had been around when he was growing up.
It's one of the reasons he believes so strongly in giving to the United Way.
Richard Fletcher, at work as a truck driver at 17 Wing, says donating helps him feel connected to the community.
"I know it would have been a lot easier for me," Fletcher said.
He grew up in British Columbia and left home when he was 13 years old.
Turning to the streets, he became addicted to drugs and alcohol while trying to survive.
"I can remember crawling under cars trying to get heat from the engine," he said.
"I don't want anybody to go through that."
Fletcher managed to turn things around. He got hired at a construction company and completed a carpenter apprenticeship.
"Deep down inside I know I was better than what I had become," Fletcher said.
Armed with a trade, Fletcher got married and started a family.
But a car accident would take all of that away from him, killing his son and his wife.
Fletcher turned to alcohol again to cope before giving it up for good nearly two decades ago.
"At 33 I made a decision that I wanted to change my life," he said.
Eight years ago he completed his Grade 12 education and landed a job as a truck driver at the Department of National Defence.
He made the move to 17 Wing in Winnipeg over four years ago.
The time he spent as a sponsored executive during the United Way's fundraising campaign last year hammered home the impact the organization has on the city.
"It opened my eyes to how many different organizations they actually help. Every dollar goes back into the community," Fletcher said.
He has encouraged his co-workers to give to the United Way because he believes in the United Way's three strategic goals of reducing poverty, encouraging youth and building neighbourhoods.
"I've always believed in cleaning up our own backyard before we worry about someone else's backyard," Fletcher said.
He said donating to the United Way makes him feel more connected to the community, knowing he could be helping his next-door neighbour.
And with his background in carpentry, giving to the United Way is significant in another way.
"With the United Way, you can see what it's built at the end of the day," Fletcher said.
michelle.melanson@freepress.mb.ca
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