What a way to celebrate 50 years! At first blush, the tie between United Way of Greater Simcoe County and a Design Show Home may not be obvious. But there really are so many analogies between the work done for the Estate on the Bay, exemplified in this wonderful magazine, and the work of United Way. Pulling together toward a common goal, bringing people in the community together, that's what both are all about. In the Design Show Home, it was about bringing the design community together, along with countless other suppliers, retailers and supporters, to get a job done in an incredibly short amount of time. In the process we made new contacts and friends and saw the power of the group. An initial idea of "staging" the home, snowballed into a full-fledged renovation, and a demonstration of what passion and vision can achieve. United Way is really quite similar. We bring together an incredibly broad-based network of agencies, programs, donors, businesses, consultants, government sectors and volunteers to achieve a vision – the community's vision – of a better place to live and work.

The Show Home and Gala, celebrating our 50th anniversary, would never have been possible without the help of hundreds of volunteers. I do not have the space to thank them all, but here are a few who stand out: First and foremost, Arch and Helen Brown, for generously opening the doors of their home to allow this event. The Steering Committee: Ron Clark, Mary Dobson, Catherine Hall, France St. Amour, Jim Dickie, Sarah Stevens, Marlene Mitchelmore, Seija Suutari, and Susan Laycock; The Design Sub-Committee: Ron Clark (Chair), Sarah Stevens, Patti Gwyn, and Georgia Krieger. The Gala Sub-Committee: Jim Dickie (co-chair), Catherine Hall (co-chair), Brooke Jacoby and Robin Munro. Also, I have to thank official contractor, Ron Clark, from Renobox and his team, as well as D.R. Amos Plumbing and Wallwin Electric for many days of onsite work, absolutely free of charge and always with a smile. And finally, I cannot forget Sue Kay, who, along with Benjamin Moore, supplied all of the paint for the project. A fantastic team for a fantastic event!

So check out this special edition of Simcoe Life and then get your ticket to the tour at www.estateonthebay.com. I know you will be truly inspired.

Joanne C. McPhail
Chair of the Board
United Way of Greater Simcoe County