The Tomorrow Fund has been growing for decades, shaped by thousands of people.
Established by United Way Winnipeg as a permanent endowment, the Tomorrow Fund invests contributions for the long term. The principal is preserved and invested to grow, while the investment income helps support our community’s needs. It allows generosity to blossom and flourish, becoming a lasting resource for Winnipeg, not only today, but for future generations as well.
At a special recognition event, we celebrated the recent, significant contributions of two families to the Tomorrow Fund, as well as those who added their names and commitments to the Legacy Circle, our growing community tapestry. By establishing named funds and signatures in the Book of Names, these families and individuals are weaving their own connections to Winnipeg’s story, now and beyond, to illuminate our city and strengthen its future.
The Family of Dr. John and Pat Gray
When Dr. John and Pat Gray made Winnipeg their home over 50 years ago, they became deeply connected to the people and community around them.
They were the kind of people who took notice when someone needed a hand and were always willing to offer their own. That instinct and desire to help extended beyond their immediate circle. Through their work, volunteerism, and longstanding support for United Way Winnipeg, they continually found ways to help their neighbours and people across this city, building a stronger foundation for the future.
Through their legacy gift, the largest in the history of the Tomorrow Fund, the Gray family’s commitment to giving back will endure, helping and strengthening the community they called home for decades to come.
The Lavery Family
Much of John Robert “Bob” Lavery’s life was connected to building a better Winnipeg.
He helped establish and lead Winpak, a company with deep roots in our city and one that has maintained a longstanding United Way Winnipeg workplace campaign, reflecting a history of community participation that unites business, employees and the city around a shared commitment.
Now, through the Lavery family’s significant legacy gift, that connection carries forward and will continue to shape Winnipeg long into the future.
Every name is a thread weaving Winnipeg’s future
The Legacy Circle brings together people who have shared that they plan to leave a future gift to United Way Winnipeg through their Will or estate. It is a way to guarantee that a lifetime of support for Winnipeg can continue beyond and become part of our city’s future.
New Named Funds Established in 2026
1. The John and Pat Gray Fund
2. Bob and Elaine Lavery Family Fund
3. Matthew Cutler and Dr. Avery Miller Fund
4. The Neil and Carol Duboff Fund
5. Richard Irish Fund New
New Book of Names Signers
1. The Les & Terry Wiens Family
2. The Paul & Margaret Wright Family Fund
3. The Allan Fineblit Fund
4. Matthew Cutler and Dr. Avery Miller Fund
5. The John and Pat Gray Fund
A legacy built by all of us
The Tomorrow Fund belongs to all of us. It is a legacy built by us, and a testament to how irrefutable and unwavering our love for Winnipeg is.
The recent contributions from the Gray and Lavery families are remarkable milestones on this journey, but they are not separate from the thousands of gifts that came before them. They are part of the same collective mosaic of generosity, one that is continually expanding through everyone who chooses to invest in Winnipeg and its future.
We all know that our city is facing real challenges, but its future remains ours to shape. While we may not know exactly what Winnipeg will look like generations from now, we all believe in the vision for what it can become, and we can all play a part in making that vision a reality.
Leave a Lasting Legacy of your own
Whether you’ve supported our community for years or are just beginning to think about the role you’d like to play in Winnipeg’s future, there’s an opportunity to make your generosity last.
By sharing your intention to leave a future gift, you become part of the Legacy Circle, joining others who want their commitment to Winnipeg to extend beyond their own lifetimes and continue for generations.
We invite you to learn more about the Tomorrow Fund, consider what this city means to you and how you envision its future and discover what’s possible when we invest in that future, together.
