Supporting Local Charity

By Nichole Saskiw

Business photo created by jcomp - www.freepik.com

Many of us as children recall the jingle bells of The Good Samaritan Society as we entered Sears or the Hudson’s Bay in the month of By Nichole Saskiw December. It became the sound of the season, and to this day, I find myself slipping a toonie in the clear plastic bubble as we pass them during the holidays.

In my youth, I dreamed of making a difference in the world.

My first career came merely as a teen when I became a lifeguard. I quickly wanted to learn more in this industry, and found myself in the EMS field as an Emergency Medical Responder. After requiring life threatening kidney surgery at just 19, I was forced to change careers, as I could no longer lift a stretcher. This was a devastating blow, as I felt I was making a huge difference in people’s lives. I decided to return to NAIT, and went in an opposite direction taking Business Administration – Management Studies. After graduation, I found a job in the clerical field with the Alberta Government where I spent 5years climbing from administrative support to business manager. I became disenchanted, and hoped I might find more meaning if I worked in the private sector. I was wrong, and after almost 10 years I felt extremely lost, and not at all where I originally hoped to be after college graduation.

I desperately wanted to be a business owner. The idea literally fell into my lap after hosting a few mixers for my home-based business friends.

These friends raved that I was an excellent organizer, and they wished there were more planners organizing markets and vendor events. I recall my first events began with just 12 vendors. I teamed up with another friend, then after working with a partner for 2 years, I branched out on my own. My events now see as many as 175 individual vendors, a variety of activities, as well as major charity involvement.

It was with event planning, that I realized the impact I could make on both small businesses requiring a well organized, well attended event to be a part of, as well as with the local charities that rely on the community. I also came to realize, many of these small business owners also wanted to create an impact in their community. It was clear that with the backing of hundreds of small businesses, and thousands of people attending my events, we could do extraordinary things together. Since beginning in 2008, I have organized a variety of events supporting such organizations as: Fe Viva missions, Me to We missions, The Sonora fire victims, FSCD Spruce Grove, Parkland food bank, The Parkland turning points society, The Saint Albert food bank, St Joseph Catholic School, The Kinsmen of Stony Plain, the Kinsmen of Saint Albert, The Spruce Grove Kinettes, The Spruce Grove White Socks, The Little Warriors, The Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, Autism Canada, and the Alberta Dock Dogs Association.

I have found myself supporting various charities throughout the year. After many conversations with my ongoing charities, there is a definite need all year round to support our local charities, and not just during the holiday season. I look forward to continuing my work with local charities over the years to come. I am fortunate that my business has given me the chance to give back in the communities I work in, and urge others to appreciate that if we all work collectively, we can be extremely powerful together.

Nichole Saskiw has a diploma in management – business administration from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. After years of work in administration, Nichole sought after her main interests which lied in entrepreneurship, marketing and management. Nichole realized that businesses main focus lies in marketing their product. After being involved in large trade shows, trade fairs, and festivals – it became apparent that single location businesses can keep a competitive advantage as well as create strong business alliances that are imperative to operations in the industry as a whole.

Nichole’s experience in tradeshows started 12 years ago where she became involved in numerous shows. Some were designed to create liaising atmospheres for industry professionals, and others were designed to spin old stock into dollars to be reinvested into the newest technology and stock imperative to maintain top advantage of the market.

Nichole Saskiw Director - World of Vendors Inc. Box 3296 Spruce Grove, AB T7Z 0A6