We Winter 2014 by Venture Publishing

MAGAZINE OF UNITED WAY OF THE ALBERTA CAPITAL REGION SUMMER/FALL • 2014

The Big Picture Early Years Continuum Project takes a community approach to raising children

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Clara’s Big Ride encourages year-round movement towards mental health

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SUMMER/FALL • 2014

SPOTLIGHT Education

10 SET FOR SUCCESS Lunch programs, outreach supports and stay-inschool initiatives are all part of a collaborative tapestry to help children succeed in their education

14 A STRONG START It takes a community to raise a child, and it’s never too soon to start seeking support from available initiatives that focus on kids

DEPARTMENTS 4 MESSAGE FROM UNITED WAY

19 BRIDGE THE GAP Creating meaningful programs for children through collaboration is the mantra of the Out of School Time Secretariat

5 COMMUNITY CHAMPION Sandra Woitas is a woman of vision and an advocate for children’s rights

6 THIS WAY IN 5

FEATURES 19

23 STUDENTS DO MORE 27

A look at a handful of United Way’s recent community initiatives

27 MENTAL MOVEMENT Clara’s Big Ride and other Alberta-based initiatives are going the distance to raise awareness for mental health and physical activity

9 MYTH BUSTERS Teens don’t drop out of school because of laziness or the promise of big money

30 TAKING POVERTY TO TASK Edmonton is tackling the problem as a team with an ultimate goal of eliminating it

40 BUSINESS WAY The Meal to End Hunger gives MacEwan University students a lot to digest

Post-secondary students are breaking the stereotype of apathy and building a model for not-for-profits at the same time

34 SET A NEW NORMAL 30

Lifelong mental health starts from a foundation of a strong education and builds with awareness

41 LEADING EDGE 10

ON THE COVER: 42 MILESTONES Outreach worker Jenny Bochke is Edmonton’s engineering helping kids like Taylor get more community shows its out of school and life. PHOTO: Kelly Redinger giving spirit WEMAGAZINE.CA

38 SPONSOR PROFILE: ALBERTA BLUE CROSS

Northlands’ history of giving back to United Way spans more than four decades

Employees, with the help of company matching campaigns, have contributed more than $1.5 million to United Way

34 30

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O UR WAY

SUMMER/FALL 2014 VOL 3 • No. 2 UNITED WAY OF THE ALBERTA CAPITAL REGION EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Nancy Critchley ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Mike Kluttig, Sue Huff, David Odumade COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Cindy McDonald

Ilene Fleming Director, Community Building and Investment, Children and Youth, Success By 6 United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

Our Children, Our Future WE ALL HAVE A STAKE IN PROMOTING THE WELL-BEING of children and youth, and we all benefit from their positive outcomes. In this issue, we examine the supports in our community that help children and youth become all that they can be. Some of the most important factors that contribute to high school graduation actually start in early childhood. Communities are adopting innovative strategies to build a strong foundation for young children prior to entering school, because when children start behind, they often have difficulty catching up. If we think of child development as a scale with two sides, one is stacked with challenging situations such as stress, neglect or poverty, and the other side with positive factors like supportive relationships and skill-building opportunities. We need to be sure these scales are tipped toward the positive. The programs and initiatives highlighted in this issue of WE, like Partners for Kids, do just that. At United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, we realize that education is a stepping stone to future success. By starting from the very beginning, we can address challenges that may be more costly and difficult to overcome later on. Collectively, we can use our time, energy and resources today to ensure all students have educational success. I hope you enjoy this issue of WE, which has been generously sponsored by Alberta Blue Cross. Thank you for your interest in the children of our community and thank you to Alberta Blue Cross for making it possible to share these stories with you.

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EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meredith Bongers, Ilene Fleming, Sheilah Pittman, Anne Smith SPONSORSHIP AND CORPORATE SUPPORT COMMITTEE Meredith Bongers, Nancy Critchley, Kevin Fitzgerald, Myrna Khan, Mike Kluttig, Stephane Hache VENTURE PUBLISHING INC. PUBLISHER: Ruth Kelly DIRECTOR OF CUSTOM CONTENT: Mifi Purvis MANAGING EDITORS: Lyndsie Bourgon, Shelley Williamson ART DIRECTOR: Charles Burke ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Andrea deBoer ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Colin Spence PRODUCTION MANAGER: Betty Feniak Smith PRODUCTION TECHNICIANS: Brent Felzien, Brandon Hoover CIRCULATION: Karen Reilly CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Colleen Biondi, Martin Dover, Pat Fream, Lucy Haines, Jen Janzen, Brynna Leslie, Michelle Lindstrom, Cory Schachtel CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS: BB Collective, Nancy Critchley, Buffy Goodman, Pedersen, Darryl Propp, theravenwine Photography, Kelly Redinger, Curtis Trent ABOUT UNITED WAY The mission of United Way of the Alberta Capital Region is to mobilize collective action to create pathways out of poverty.

WE is published for United Way of the Alberta Capital Region by Venture Publishing Inc., 10259-105 Street Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3 Tel: 780-990-0839 Fax: 780-425-4921 Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 circulation@venturepublishing.ca Printed in Canada by Transcontinental Interweb WE is printed on Forest Stewardship Council ® certified paper Publications Agreement #40020055 ISSN 1925-8690 Contents copyright 2014. Content may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission from United Way of the Alberta Capital Region.

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COMMUNITY CHAMPION

Champ for Children Sandra Woitas is committed to breaking down barriers that limit kids’ success by PAT FREAM Sandra Woitas, executive director of the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation

FRIENDS AND PEERS DESCRIBE Sandra Woitas as a larger-than-life trailblazer, a relentless advocate for disadvantaged children and families, a tireless volunteer and an inspiring community leader. Currently the executive director of the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, Sandra has garnered several awards for her dedication, including Woman of Integrity, an Alberta Centennial Medal, Woman of Vision, and Advocate of Young Children Award. In 2004, the City of Edmonton selected her as one of the top 100 Edmontonians of the century, part of a celebration of the city’s centenary. This June, in recognition of her extraordinary achievements, she was granted an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Alberta. Her professional and volunteer titles range from director to professor to guest speaker, and in each role she aims to break down barriers that limit kids. She engages passionately and wholeheartedly, and with steely determination she raises the bar and moves mountains. Sandra took some time out of her hectic schedule to answer some questions from WE magazine.

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WE: In what ways have you affected the well-being of children in Alberta? Sandra: It has been my life’s mission to see that disadvantaged children have access to the high quality education they deserve. I’ve pursued this passion in my role as principal of Norwood School and as director of the City Centre Education Project, where I built a network of support agencies now called Partners for Kids, a program that serves 3,700 students in 14 Edmonton schools. While on secondment to Alberta Education, I worked with parents, schools and communities on the cross-ministry Family Violence and Anti-Bullying Initiative. Most recently, as director of the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, I launched campaigns to support fullday kindergarten programs for kids in socially vulnerable communities. WE: What challenges have you overcome? Sandra: Waking the “sleeping giant” in this province: the passion

Alberta parents and communities have for their children, building social trust, one conversation at a time, and engaging society in the all-important task of getting our young children ready for life. WE: What drives you? Sandra: Believing I have a vital role to play in building essential networks for kids in need. Being a part of a critical mass of positive nurturers – people who unite and become committed to a worthy cause, witnessing great teaching in classrooms, helping kids who struggle to graduate high school and become healthy, competent, contributing Albertans. I love seeing kids cross the finish line! WE: What’s the next milestone you have in your sights? Sandra: Hope is the oxygen of the human spirit. I want to continue to champion hope for all children to be given opportunities to show that, no matter what their life situation, they have gifts and talents and they deserve to shine.

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by UNITED WAY STAFF

CHANGE IN THE CARDS IT MAY JUST LOOK LIKE A COLLECTION OF scrawled signatures on a sheet of paper, but for Angela Kenny, collecting signatures for United Way’s Statement of Support is a commitment she has made to fight poverty in her community. When United Way asked Angela to sign a statement card committing to help end poverty in the region, she didn’t have to think twice. In fact, she began asking everyone she knew to sign. “There was a point in my life when I had a lot and then a part when I didn’t,” explains Angela, adding that having used community services in the past, she knows their value first-hand. “Poverty shouldn’t exist,” she says, “especially in a province like Alberta.” Amanda Bennett agrees. She’s been collecting signatures this past year by asking her neighbours if they want to end poverty in the community; she sees it as a simple and powerful way to help her community. United Way first asked people to sign statement cards in June 2013 during its public launch of Creating Pathways Out of Poverty, a results-based approach focused on collaborations with key partners to end poverty in the Alberta Capital Region.

The statement wasn’t meant as a petition to bring before government. Instead, it was designed as a simple action people could take to join with United Way and stand up against poverty in the community. Statement cards have since been handed out during poverty simulations, United Way events and to businesses in the community. In addition, visitors to United Way’s website can sign electronically. To date, more than 1,500 people have signed the statement and their names are being proudly displayed at United Way’s office, filling up an entire wall. Putting your name on one of these statement cards can be a simple but powerful act, and Angela sees the results in herself and in the mindfulness of her friends. “It’s all about awareness,” she says. “I have friends telling me that since signing, they now donate a hamper of food to the food bank every time they go to Safeway.” And, with 1,500 signatures and counting, what seems like a collection of names on a wall is turning into a growing effort to change lives.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP: Myrna Khan, vice-president of resource development at United Way, lends a hand posting Statement of Support cards.

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BIRDS OF A RED FEATHER IN 1941, THE COMMUNITY CHEST OF GREATER EDMONTON adopted the red feather for its symbol of giving. More than 70 years later, we are known as United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, and the red feather symbol is still used to honour our most loyal supporters. They are known as the Red Feather Society – a group of 1,600 people with 25 to 60 years of dedicated service and fundraising to our cause. Many members share history with United Way as past board and cabinet members, longtime volunteers as well as donors. This year, for the first time in five years, about 100 members of the Red Feather Society gathered for coffee and a presentation by Denny and Marg May, longtime supporters of United Way. The Mays shared stories of Denny’s father, Wop May, a First World War fighter pilot and Canadian aviation legend known for his humanitarian efforts in the Mercy Flight. “The feedback from the event is positive. People enjoyed the interesting presentations and the socializing afterwards,” says Donna Roth, senior advisor, community investments. “With such a great response, we have received many calls from people wanting to attend future events,” says Donna. Future presentations will continue to be about local history in the Alberta Capital Region. “It’s

POVERTY SIMULATED POVERTY IS COMPLEX AND TRYING TO understand it can be challenging. In June 2013, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region launched its first official poverty simulation as a new learning tool to highlight the daily challenges of living in poverty. It is designed to increase awareness and bring a new perspective to how difficult it is to emerge from poverty.

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FEATHERED FRIENDS: Meredith Bongers and Donna Roth of United Way with long-time donor and Red Feather Society member Bill Rees.

important to recognize the efforts of the loyal supporters,” adds Donna. “And give them a chance to enjoy the history they share.” Thanks to the Northern Alberta Pioneers Land Descendants Association, who donated the hall at The Old Timers’ Cabin and to Bon Ton Bakery and Starbucks Coffee Company, who generously donated refreshments. Contact united@myunitedway.ca or call Donna Roth at (780) 990-1000 to learn about future events.

The experience, which lasts an hour, simulates a month in the life of someone living in poverty, with each 15-minute segment representing a week. Participants are assigned a role within a low-income family, as a parent, a senior, teen or a child. Over the hour, they interact with volunteers acting as agency workers, employers, daycare providers, police officers and business owners. Each new week brings its own set of challenges to the participants. Before and after every simulation, organizers ask participants a number of questions to evaluate how the experience affected their understanding of poverty. And the survey results, based on the feedback of 511 participants have been astounding. For example, before the simulation, only 28 per cent of the participants reported a high degree of awareness of the difficulties of becoming self-sufficient on a limited budget. After, that number climbed to 94 per cent. Similarly, just 32 per cent of participants reported a good understanding of the difficult choices people living in poverty needed to make each month. After they had completed the simulation, 95 per cent said they understood these tough choices more clearly. Judy Batty wasn’t surprised by the survey results. Her own experience with the simulation was profound and life-changing, she says. “In fact, it’s what prompted me to change my job at United Way to become the Poverty Simulation Program coordinator. I think it’s a great learning opportunity.” Word is spreading about this opportunity, and Judy has already booked 21 simulations this year, nearly double the number of the previous year. “I’m happy to see a growing interest in the program because it means more people are becoming aware of the obstacles people living in poverty have to overcome each day.” To participate or volunteer, please contact Judy Batty at (780) 443-8384.

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RED TIE GALA THE EDMONTON EXPO CENTRE BALLROOM at Northlands was alive with the buzz of our collective achievements and recognition during the annual Red Tie Gala on February 27, 2014. Uplifting music played and confetti cannons heralded the largest fundraising achievement ever for our United Way: $23.3 million. But more importantly, amidst our own diversity and differences, there was an energy that can only be found in communities that are connected and ready to power ahead for the same cause. In this case, our cause is to end poverty in the Alberta Capital Region. As the focus of the 2013 campaign was “Creating Pathways Out of Poverty,” a symbolic pathway in the cocktail reception lobby showcased photos of donors who

AFFIRMATION: Patrons show signs of possibility during the Red Tie Gala.

WOW FACTOR: The largest fundraising achievement ever is announced, $23.3 million.

NEW FACE: Incoming United Way Campaign Chair Ruth Kelly is joined by outgoing Chair Gary Bosgoed.

support United Way, as well as individuals who accessed the support of United Way-funded partners. “Poverty is a thief. It steals your dignity, independence, pride and hope for success. And it can affect any of us at any time – all it takes is one misfortune, one unforeseen circumstance. No one should have to suffer the embarrassment and vulnerability that poverty brings. Not families, not individuals, and especially not children,” says Gary Bosgoed, 2013 Campaign Chair. Our sincerest thanks go to Gary for his commitment and dedication this past year, and we give a big welcome to Ruth Kelly, president and CEO of Venture Publishing Inc., who will lead our campaign next year as the Chair. Ending poverty won’t happen overnight. At United Way we believe this is a goal we can achieve in time, and the energy from the attendees at Red Tie Gala demonstrates that our community also aspires to this ambitious goal. Thank you!

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MYTH BUSTERS by MARTIN DOVER

High School Dropouts Reasons why kids check out early have nothing to do with laziness ALBERTA IS OFTEN CITED FOR HAVING A lower high school completion rate than the national average – and therefore higher dropout numbers – but the situation is actually improving, according to recent Alberta Education statistics. Despite the declining rate of kids checking out of class – it hovers around three per cent – there is still room for improvement. There are many reasons why students leave high school before graduation. Dana Antaya-Moore, education manager with Alberta Education, discusses some of them, at the same time debunking myths surrounding why students fail to complete school. MYTH #1. Kids drop out of high school because they are lazy. “I think there’s that notion that they’re lazy,” Dana says. “But we know that they drop out because of various life events. They may become pregnant, they may have to stop attending school to support their family, they may be discouraged and eventually just become disengaged enough that they don’t see a point in being there – and often in those cases they don’t feel connected to an adult at the school or known by an adult at the school. So they kind of just fade away. They don’t have those connections that get them to come and support them in that journey,” she adds. Sometimes, it’s about how competent they feel being in school and with the course material, Dana explains. “We know kids will sometimes drop out if they have experienced repeated failure in school and don’t feel there is someone there to support them in being successful,” she says. MYTH #2. Dropout rates are on the rise in the province. Alberta Education calculates student results related to high school enrolment in Grades 10 to 12, each spring for the previous school year. These results include three-, four- and five-year high school completion rates, based on tracking WEMAGAZINE.CA

DROPOUT RATE – THREE-YEAR ROLLING AVERAGE DROP OUT RATE 2009-2011 NUMBER: AVERAGE :

179,245 3.9%

2010-2012 NUMBER: AVERAGE:

179,301 3.6%

Grade 10 students. 2011-2013 And while the average NUMBER: 178,855 rates of kids opting out of AVERAGE: 3.3% school before high school grad saw a slight upswing in recent years, that trend has begun taking a dip. “Our MYTH #4. There is nothing that current dropout rate is 3.5 per cent, can be done to encourage kids to as compared to 2011’s 3.3 per cent,” stay in or return to school. explains Dana. “But the five-year Noting that local jurisdictions, rather trend shows overall that things are than the province, have authority to improving, with rates coming down. oversee schools, Dana says she has There are schools with very few kids seen some Edmonton schools approach dropping out, and some with more,” the dropout problem by reaching out she says, citing values across the directly to students who have left, province plunging as low as two per including M.E. LaZerte High School. cent or as high as eight. “They have seen a significant reduction in dropout rate. They saw their dropMYTH #3. Teens drop out of out rate go from just over eight per high school to make big money, cent to three per cent over a five-year especially in the oil patch. period,” she notes of the results. “I think it’s another misconception Elsewhere in the province, groups that kids drop out to go and work, are working to improve rates at let’s say, in the oil patch. That’s a “which Alberta teens finish high popular myth, especially in Fort school, Dana says. She cites a project, McMurray,” Dana says. “But the “All in for Youth,” connected to oil and gas industry in and around United Way Calgary and Area that Fort McMurray actually won’t hire sees workers, many of them retired kids if they haven’t completed high teachers, reach out to kids who have school, so they actually work closely left school. “They actually hire people with both Fort McMurray public and who have been in the education Catholic boards to ensure supports system to call kids who have dropped are in place to ensure kids can finish out and invite them back into the high school and then they will hire school, and they set them up with them. And many communities are mentors,” Dana says. “They’ve been doing that; they’re working with having quite significant success with whoever the local employers are.” bringing kids back into schools.” WE • SUMMER/FALL • 2014

BUDDING ARTIST: Delton School student Taylor Mikolas gets some painting pointers from Roots and Wings outreach worker Jenny Bochke, as part of Partners for Kids programming.

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Education

SET for Success Lunch programs, outreach supports and stay-in-school initiatives are all part of a collaborative tapestry to help children succeed in their education by LUCY HAINES

Photography by KELLY REDINGER

ARTNERS FOR KIDS (PFK) IS BOTH A PHILOSOPHY AND A program that brings services to high needs children, youth and families in Edmonton’s inner-city schools and neighbourhoods. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. But while many schools have mentors and lunch programs, PFK is uniquely collaborative in nature, with supports that work together, in concert, at all the city’s PFK schools. What started in 1995 as an initiative of United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, The Family Centre (TFC) and Big Brothers Big Sisters (now Boys and Girls Club Big Brothers Big Sisters or BGCBigs) at Norwood Elementary School, has grown to a program with many partners and service providers in 14 socially vulnerable central schools. Erica Mikolas and her daughter Taylor, in Grade 4, know first-hand the benefit of having supports in school. Taylor has attended Edmonton’s Delton Elementary School for the past four years, where she has benefitted from the school’s PFK designation and services – things like the E4C school lunch program, BGCBigs mentorship and a connection with Roots and Wings outreach worker Jenny Bochke from The Family Centre.

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MEETING OF MINDS: Jenny Bochke, left, often holds impromptu chats with parents like Erica Mikolas as part of a help-as-needed relationship at Delton School, where Erica’s daughter Taylor is in Grade 4.

“The school has helped my daughter so much. We can go see Jenny at her office anytime, and Taylor is able to tell her things that she might not share at home, like the grief she felt after losing her uncle,” Erica says. “Jenny is an intermediary who doesn’t take sides, and she’s younger, so there’s a comfort for Taylor to talk to someone closer to her age.” Part of the extended community at Delton School includes an on-site family therapist and Child and Family Services workers that staff members know by name and can reach with one quick phone call. Community resources include a nurse, nutritionist and police constable, citizens that are all part of that village it takes to raise a child. “Each partner is helpful to a family,” says Nancy Webber, Delton’s principal. “While we’re prepared to deal with crisis situations, our work is aimed at prevention – through PFK we’re all dedicated to see each child succeed.” Jenny has also co-facilitated a grief and loss group with a therapist at Delton, which is one example of the customized

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approach a Roots and Wings worker can personally take at a PFK school. And for Jenny, flexibility in the work she does with students and their families is paramount, and something parents like Erica can appreciate. “Jenny has a coffee meeting for parents at the school every other week, where she shares information about services we may want in the community, like a parenting course or even help with the job hunt,” Erica says. “When I was looking for part-time work recently, Jenny helped me with my resumé.” Getting to know school children and their families, whether by opening a formal case file or maintaining an informal help-as-needed relationship, is par for the course and an enjoyable part of Jenny’s job. She says her typical interactions include activities during recess or lunch and chats in the hallway with students, or even just a knock on the car window to say hello when parents are dropping kids off at school each morning. Nancy has seen what a community of caring service providers can offer children and families. She remembers one case involving an expectant mom with young children enrolled at the school. Shortly after coming to Delton and meeting Jenny, the woman became homeless, but her positive experience with the Roots and Wings worker brought her back to the school to ask for help.

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Education

“We have a fabulous program here. It’s hard to quantify, but it’s a huge One clear area that has emerged is intentional relief as principal to know that with the challenging issues people face, I positive adult relationships through formal and can point to someone that can help,” Nancy says. “It takes a lot to build that informal work in the schools. That includes the trusting relationship, and to have a family open their home to us. But we notion that everyone is a resource, from youth have that foundation here.” leaders and mentors, to teachers and counsellors. The annual PFK Outcome Report explains further. In it, one principal in “We focus on the culture of the school – a PFK school notes the critical support children receive, which he says gives the entire school is part of PFK – so the school them strength and hope to be successful in the future. He also underscores climate can change as the engagement and that the program helps build confidence and resiliency in families, which attachments grow. That builds leadership contribute to their ability and willingness to complete their education. and brings a sense of stability and hope for Jenny says that in her short time at Delton, she has learned to meet families children and their families,” Pauline says. wherever they are – the school office, their home or at a nearby coffee shop. Today PFK continues to focus on the vulner“Every situation is unique, and parent-driven. able 118 Avenue The need could be for emotional support in a corridor, helpWe work to keep all our school children crisis, or to find connections for housing, thering about 3,500 through to graduation. And we want to apists or at the food bank. Having someone in students from continue pilots in different parts of the city, this safe, caring environment that’s a liaison – kindergarten to sometimes it’s the connection people need.” graduation, with where poverty and transiency are high. The same is true for Allison Russell, a We’d love more involvement from corporate special attention community program facilitator at Delton and to the transitions Edmonton with that. other PFK schools. Working with BGCBigs, between Grades – Pauline Smale, vice-president of client services, Allison often runs a Creative Minds after6 and 7, and 9 to The Family Centre school art class, plus mentoring programs that 10. “We’ve talked pair elementary students with Grade 10 to 12 about the whole students or adult volunteers. Such programs provide the positive youth and child for years, but now we know what this adult role models many children need, and a safe place to go. means,” Pauline says. “There’s the cognitive That feeling of safety extends to the E4C snack and lunch program at engagement – education and expectation – but Delton, too. While all kids get a daily snack, students can opt-in for lunches the psychosocial part is just as important. We including sandwiches, fruit salad, subs, pizza and even spaghetti days. “We work on keeping bums in seats by embracing who have a lot of business and volunteer support for the food program,” Nancy the student is every time they come to school.” says. “When it first began, kids would fill their pockets. But trust built, and Pauline says the more engaged and supported soon the kids felt safe that the food would be there again the next day.” a child is in school, the more likely he or she is to PFK addresses the many factors that can stop kids from finishing school: want to be there. When kids have a relationship drug and alcohol abuse; unhealthy home environments; gang involvement with someone at school it is easier to support and other dangerous relationships; poverty; fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; them when things become challenging, she abuse and trauma; living in substandard housing; and parental dysfunction adds. That can begin with a simple hello and and child neglect. The program’s partners help make it possible to address kind word from the school custodian, lunch these challenges. server or staff who work in the office. It’s about Key partners who fund or deliver PFK services include: The City of creating what she calls “hubs of pleasantness,” at Edmonton/FCSS; United Way of the Alberta Capital Region; Edmonton the same time addressing things most of us take Public Schools; The Family Centre (TFC); Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers for granted: a calm environment and basics like Big Sisters (BBCBigs); E4C School Lunch Program; Edmonton Community food and safe shelter. Foundation; Edmonton and Area Child and Family Services and the Centre “We work to keep all our school children for Family Literacy. through to graduation,” Pauline says. “And we TFC has been a founding partner of PFK by providing Roots and Wings want to continue pilots in different parts of the outreach workers, therapists and success coaches to the schools. TFC’s city, where poverty and transiency are high. vice-president of client services, Pauline Smale, says the program has been We’d love more involvement from corporate a longterm journey to understand what is helpful for children and youth. Edmonton with that.”

BEST BEGINNINGS: Greta Gerstner knew she could both contribute and learn at Parents as Champions.

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Education

STRONG Start by MICHELLE LINDSTROM

Photos by BB COLLECTIVE

It takes a village to raise a child, and it’s never too soon to start seeking support

AST SPRING, WHEN GRETA GERSTNER MADE THE 10-MINUTE drive from her Crawford Plains home to the nearby Knottwood Community League Hall, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. She was about to walk into her first Parents as Champions meeting. The mom of two children under the age of six was hoping to connect with other Mill Woods-area parents who share her desire to pool resources and ideas to create a collective, collaborative approach to their kids’ education.

While she recognized the group’s site coordinator, Shireen Mears, as a fellow parent at her daughter Amy’s kindergarten, she had no idea that some of the unfamiliar but friendly faces in the crowd would soon become great resources to her, and she to them. “I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest,” says Greta of the meeting in Knottwood, one of three Alberta sites in the Early Years Continuum Project.

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PARENTAL GUIDANCE: Greta Gerstner found like-minded support for raising and educating her young son Aaron and daughter Amy through Parents as Champions.

DON’T EAT GLUE. SHARE YOUR STUFF. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF. It sounds cute to say that “everything you need to know, you learn in kindergarten.” But truthfully, the foundations for lifelong health and flourishing are built much earlier, long before a fresh-faced kindergartener meets his classmates for the first time. The early years, from birth to age six, are when a child starts learning the critical social, emotional and practical skills that will set the stage for a healthy, socially secure adulthood. Paradoxically, it can be a time when parents have few touch points with “the system,” and are unaware of the programs or services that could help them navigate the intricacies of raising a baby, toddler and young child. School is often their first experience with these resources. In answer to the lack of early-years support, in 1995 United Way of the Alberta Capital Region created a program to support families called Success By 6. Since then, the initiative has helped families prepare young children for school. But roughly a decade later, service providers of early learning care said they could meet families’ needs better by connecting with them more regularly. They created a committee, Aligning Early Learning and Care (AELC), to increase coordination and connection between services. But it wasn’t a case of “if you build it, they will come.” Some service providers questioned what resources families accessed regularly, if any, and if parents actu-

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ally knew where to go for sufficient support to create the best environment possible while raising their young children. “With these questions in mind, the AELC saw an opportunity to create an innovative project that would look from the parent perspective to how we build a better continuum of supports for families with young children,” says Mary Stewart, community investment specialist with United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. The result (advancing the work that AELC had started) was a four-year project called the Early Years Continuum Project (EYCP), established in April 2010. “The intent of the project was to learn, not to create new programs that could not be sustainable,” says Mary, also the former EYCP project manager. For Greta, that was exactly what she was looking for from the Parents as Champions project: a chance to bounce ideas off of other adults about their kids. “Both my kids have speech delays, so I have found it very frustrating,” she explains. “How can you get involved and change some of these things? That’s sort of what piqued my interest, trying to change it so there’s more support.”

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The Early Years Continuum Project’s provincial-level steering committee oversaw the project with three main focus areas: • Linking and Leveraging, which built on existing networks and created more dialogue amongst agencies • Building Capacity, which empowered site coordinators and partners to be champions of the early years • Knowledge Mobilization, which was the result, in part, of studying successful existing provincial services and delivery methods, and talking to other service providers and policy makers Organizations represented on the steering committee included United Way of the Alberta Capital Region/ Success By 6, Alberta Health Services, Child and Family Services, Early Childhood Mapping Project (ECMap), Edmonton Catholic Schools, Edmonton Public Schools, Alberta Education, Getting Ready for Inclusion Today (GRIT) and Interagency Head Start Network.

Maria became the EYCP site coordinator in Lymburn and nearby communities Callingwood and Ormsby. “We found that people want to collaborate and network,” she says. “People want somebody to organize the work to support families, but nobody has the time.” Maria knew she could be that person. Before EYCP came to a close on March 31, 2014, work in Lymburn and areas set the stage for the 3Rs position to become a sustainable role. A 3Rs worker will continue to work with families and all the neighbourhood hubs – including churches, schools and community leagues. Further, the 3Rs worker will be that person who orchestrates it all, turning great ideas into concrete plans and connections. Other initiatives have created opportunities to connect service providers and families of young children. Among them, Maria chairs Building Better Linkages, a group whose work aims to counter the silo effect – multiple efforts working in isolation rather than in concert. “The BBL meets monthly as a network of early intervention service providers,” she says. “We’ve been sharing and learning about each other. It doesn’t matter whose door a family goes to, each of us is able to better support and refer the family.”

Education

STEER THE WAY

THE THIRD SITE TO JOIN WAS MILL WOODS’ Three communities were chosen to be part of EYCP, Knottwood, in April 2012. It created the Parents as picked because they already had some level of engagement, Champions project. and were also exploring similar questions about how to Parents as Champions came out of a growing awareness best support children in their early years. The three sites – about the importance of grassroots involvement and engageHigh Prairie, and Edmonton’s ment. Greta joined the group halfLymburn and Knottwood way through the project’s lifespan, We wanted to focus on empowering communities – worked on their and attended for about a year. She parents to believe in their ability to own challenges and created says that the most valuable aspect make good decisions for their children, for her was the chance to connect site-specific initiatives. In all three places, site coordinators with parents whose children, like based on good information. acted as a conduit, providing hers, were experiencing learning – Shireen Mears, Knottwood EYCP coordinator linkages between families, difficulties and who referred her services and policy makers. to expert help. “I found it helpful In Greta’s Knottwood group, one focus that was near and that I got to meet professionals,” Greta says, “and find who to dear to her was literacy. talk to for answers and different programs available.” Lymburn, in west Edmonton, was selected as an EYCP Shireen Mears is Knottwood’s EYCP site coordinator site because provincial data mapped it as an area in which and Parents as Champions project coordinator. She says the early childhood predictors of adult health were lower Knottwood was chosen for EYCP because momentum was than elsewhere. Middle-class Lymburn’s place on the provalready building locally, and its community league hosted ince’s map of low indicators was surprising. “Service prothe project site. She also works with the Mill Woods Early viders and parents were curious to explore this in the area,” Childhood Coalition, a group working to better understand Maria Montgomery says. At the time, she was a “3Rs” its residents’ needs and determine the readiness of (relationships, resources, resiliency) worker in the area, pre- kindergarten children for school. Since the coalition contracted to provide crisis response, resiliency training, was already well- established, Knottwood prioritized early intervention and prevention programs. involvement with caregivers.

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“We wanted to focus on empowering parents to believe in their ability to make good decisions for their children, based on good information,” she says, adding she found that parents rose to the challenge. “We generated so many ideas with parents that we wanted the opportunity to implement some of those programs.” Some parent-led ideas included partnering with the Centre for Family Literacy to create a monthly family literacy program that included supper, childcare and a workshop for parents about developing their kids’ language, reading and writing over a six-month period. This was a natural fit for Greta’s family. “It was a big resource for me in finding different ways to develop language,” explains Greta. While she opted to leave her son and daughter at home to give the meetings her full attention, Greta says many in the Knottwood program appreciated that childcare was available at the monthly Wednesday night meetings. Knottwood’s EYCP also partnered with the Edmonton Public Library to start a Family Book Club program. The library recommended books for babies, toddlers and preschoolers that the club members could talk about in meetings. Interested members also attended conferences, including the Alberta Early Years Conference in September 2012. The EYCP has come to an end after four years, but Shireen says she hopes to keep some of its projects going in Knottwood. One is an annual “I’ve Outgrown it Sale,” a used-clothing bazaar at which local service agencies set up information outreach booths. Another project is Photovoice, an initiative that encourages participants to document their neighbourhood with images and words. “We asked parents to take pictures of things that resonated with them,” Shireen says. “Each picture tells a story, so we asked parents to write a little blurb so others could understand.” She envisions the future of Photovoice in Knottwood to include quarterly themes. Shireen, like many others involved in the EYCP, saw its effectiveness. “The

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project is very connected to the policy makers and the decision makers for early years,” she says. “We were able to show that parents want a voice, and that their voice is very important in the decision making.” Mary says EYCP used a number of evaluation tools to measure change. “The idea was, if you’re bringing this collective together – early childhood specialists, partners and caregivers – could this group affect change and move the needle on early development?” she says. “The findings from the project showed that by coming together and having a plan and specific goals, communities and individuals felt they were able to affect change.” EYCP may have come to a natural close, but the work continues. People are coming together, learning from each other, and finding meaningful ways to engage in early childhood education. And the initiative has brought forward information from more than 500 Alberta parents about what is important to them in terms of services and supports for their children prior to kindergarten. As an end user of the services, Greta would like to see the reach of initiatives like Parents as Champions continue. “I think we have done a lot of great things for a lot of parents,” she says. “As parents, we have collective problems. In finding other parents who are like-minded, we can improve the quality of our kids’ education. I would like to get back to the thinking ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ I would like to get something started like that.”

Education

Bridge the Gap

Creating meaningful out-of-school programs for children through collaboration by JEN JANZEN

Photography by DARRYL PROPP

IZ O’NEILL HAS LONG SEEN A STRONG need for immigrant children to have summer and after-school programs available to them. The executive director at Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters (BGCBigs), Liz is also chair of the Out of School Time Secretariat, which has been helping Edmonton organizations plan and administer out-of-school programs since 2006.

She says the goal of the secretariat is helping children feel like they belong here, no matter where they might have started their lives. “The community cares for them, and the community will stand by them,” she says. It all started when Liz, on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton (now BGCBigs), teamed up with reps

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from the Mill Woods Welcome Centre and Africa Centre in 2006, to brainstorm how to deliver summer programs to immigrant children. Edmonton only had two programs geared to immigrant children, so the three groups knew the need was there, but they didn’t know how quickly the group would expand. In 2008, the first year of programming, they served 89 children. In the next year, ASSIST and the City Centre Education Project came on board, and 601 children attended customized summer programs. In 2014, there are 35 groups involved in what is now called the Out of School Time Secretariat. Annette Malin is a community investment specialist for United Way of the Alberta Capital Region and she’s been

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part of the secretariat since last September. Annette says she’s delighted with how seamlessly the group operates. “We’ve got great people doing this and our kids have great support as a result of it.” But it wasn’t always a smooth process, says Liz. In the early days of the program, finding locations was an issue. “We needed to get schools to open up in the summer so kids didn’t have to travel long distances,” she says. “It wasn’t really happening five or six years ago, but now it’s robust.” There are joint-use agreements at anywhere from 15 to 18 schools, with City of Edmonton employees lending a hand throughout the summer. Last year, more than 1,000 children accessed out-of-school programs, a 60 per cent increase from 2008. With support from the Out of School Time Secretariat, more immigrant organizations are creating their own programs. “They knew their families needed programming, and they knew they needed support to provide that programming. Even though these are all solid organizations, you can work through barriers easier if you work as a team,” says Liz. The Africa Centre, which started without any programming, now provides out-of-school programs 12 months of the year, four days a week. In the last 10 years, Alberta’s population has grown by a million people, and Liz says half of that increase, either directly or indirectly, is a result of emigration from abroad and within Canada. “It doesn’t always look like immigration,” she acknowledges, explaining that Edmonton often isn’t the first destination.

Montreal and Toronto are popular cities for new Canadians, but the increased job opportunities lead many people to jump across the Prairies to Alberta. Edmonton’s francophone school system, for example – which was built around instilling bilingualism in Canadians – now counts immigrant children from French-speaking countries as 90 per cent of its student population, which speaks to the increase in immigrants within the Edmonton region’s demographics. Positive role models can also be lacking in an immigrant child’s life, and often their parents are busy working to support the family, even taking jobs they are overqualified for. “Sometimes you see people from your home country in your community,” Liz says, “and at home, they might have been an engineer, but in Canada they’re driving a taxi.” Nancy Petersen of the Edmonton Public School Board recently joined the secretariat, but was involved from the beginning through her role with the City Centre Education Partnership, which had a thriving summer program for inner-city youth. She says many refugee children haven’t

NEWCOMERS: Most of the children who attend Africa Centre’s out-of-school programs are refugee children.

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PHOTO: BUFFY GOODMAN

Education

had any formal schooling, and coming into a classroom at come because of war, of famine, of displacement. They nine or 10 years old when they don’t know the language, don’t choose,” he says, adding that many parents have to don’t understand the material, and don’t share the same work two or three low-paying jobs just to make ends meet, background as their peers, can find it overwhelming. so they’re not able to keep a close eye on their kids. “They may have been exposed to a deprived or violent That, says Nancy, is where the danger begins. “Many of lifestyle in a refugee camp, and the kids would otherwise be there might be mental health at home doing nothing, or Many of the kids would otherwise impacts that we don’t underon the street with whatever be at home doing nothing, or on the stand,” says Nancy. She adds that the street has to offer them. street with whatever the street has to families don’t always arrive in They’re more at risk of offer them. They’re more at risk of Canada intact: sometimes family falling into illegal activity, members are left behind or have or getting involved with falling into illegal activity, or getting been killed in a camp. gangs,” she explains. involved with gangs. Tesfaye Ayalew is the executive Tesfaye recognized this – Nancy Petersen, Edmonton Public Schools director of the Africa Centre, and danger in 2006, and wanted says most of the kids and teenagto help bridge the gap that ers who use the out-of-school programs there are refugee was apparent in available programming: there were outchildren. He emphasizes that before you start to consider of-school programs in Edmonton, but there weren’t many how the programs have benefited the youth, it’s necessary that were refugee- or newcomer-specific, and there weren’t to realize where many of them have come from. “Refugees many that were culturally appropriate. don’t plan to come to Canada to earn more money; they Tesfaye calls the programs at the Africa Centre a

SCHOOL’S OUT: Liz O’Neill, chair of the Out of School Time Secretariat and executive director at BGCBigs, says the goal of the secretariat is to make children feel welcome, no matter where they were born.

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BUILDING BRIDGES: A volunteer plays UNO with children at Africa Centre, which strives through its programs to teach the participating youngsters confidence and emphasize both African and Canadian culture.

“holistic” approach. “We wanted to help them get caught up in the school system, but add a component of culture, identity and heritage to help them understand who they are, so they can better understand where they’re going,” he says. And the knowledge isn’t just academic-based, either: the children learn about how to make healthy choices and get to play sports. He’s helped introduce many refugee children to the Canadian joys of ice skating and skiing, for example. The Harvard Family Research Project, a research organization operating out of Harvard University, says out-of-school programs can foster a wide array of benefits for the children who take part in them, but Tesfaye doesn’t need a study to be convinced of the rewards: he sees them every day, in the faces of the children who attend programs there. There are numerous stories of students becoming more confident as they spent time at the Africa Centre, such as a teen girl from Sudan who volunteered to teach a hip hop dance class for other girls. It was an after-school activity for several years, and when the girl left the club, the students ran the club themselves, practising daily and planning performances. The feedback Tesfaye has received from parents has been encouraging, as well. Parents like the fact that the programs emphasize African culture, and they remark on the engagement level that their children have in school: more reading at home, more homework completed on time and in general, happier kids. “I hear again and again that they can’t wait to come here,” Tesfaye says. “When the weather is bad, they don’t want to stay home. Now they say, ‘Let’s go to Africa Centre.’ ”

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THE POWER OF MANY The OST Secretariat doesn’t organize the out-of-school programs itself: it helps Edmonton groups organize their own programs, helps them apply for funding and figure out logistical challenges. The secretariat’s strategy document is called “Faster Alone, Farther Together,” and Liz and Annette agree that title sums up the benefits that the cooperation has given them. “This initiative provides an effective way for groups to work together, without having to compete for resources and attendance,” says Annette. Collaboration was part of the secretariat’s initial vision from the beginning, Liz says. “The community had to come together to get work done in new ways. We knew we could get work done more quickly if we worked alone, but could make a more substantial contribution if we all worked together.” The programs have been so successful that the OST Secretariat is looking at working with local groups to open up the availability to all students, not just immigrant children.

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Education PHOTOS: CARISSA M THAM OF THERAVENWINE PHOTOGRAPHY

COMMUNITY MINDED: Alberta School of Business students led and participated in a not-for-profit business case competition this February.

STUDENTS

Do More Post-secondary students are breaking the stereotype of apathy and building a model for not-for-profits at the same time by CORY SCHACHTEL

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ON THE CASE: Clockwise from top left, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region’s booth at the not-for-profit career and volunteer fair; event co-chairs Nisha Patel and Sherin Noroozi don their best; a group shot of the ANPCC executive team. Members are, from top left to right: Nicki Clarke, Nisha Patel, Webb Dussome, Deb Cautley, Alexandra Vu, Sherin Noroozi, Jessica Ireland, Andra Bob, Jordyn Lugg, Graeme Glassford, Steven Knight, Kevin Pinkoski and Alfonso Aguilar.

N MARCH 2013, ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (at the University of Alberta) student Sherin Noroozi went to Washington, D.C. to compete in a business case competition. Something set this one apart from the usual student competitions. Rather than focusing on a large corporation, it focused on a not-for-profit organization, challenging competitors to tackle the challenges not-for-profits face. The business case tried to address question of how to boost the efficiency of social support initiatives. The solution, according to some local students, is simple: completely change the business-charity paradigm. While the U of A team did not come back with winning results, Sherin came home inspired to make a change. She returned determined to create the first continent-wide, Canadianhosted not-for-profit case competition, here in Edmonton. With co-chair and friend Nisha Patel, the two assembled a committee of nine students, beginning work in April 2013. One of those students was Steven Knight, who as past VP Academic at the U of A sought out local business leaders and not-for-profit organizations who might want to take part. Steven was prepared for disappointment. “We thought it would be tough to get people from the community to help out, and we thought it would be impossible to get not-for-profits to share their

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information with students,” he says. “I guess we were just naive and inexperienced.” The committee selected Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) to feature in its case study, in part because the organization has helped kids off the streets and into jobs since 1978. Steven distributed the case study throughout the faculty of business, hoping to get as many as four teams interested in representing the university at the end of February 2014. “We got 11 in the first 24 hours, and 14 in total,” Steven says. Since so many students wanted to compete, the committee held a scaled down version of the competition at home, an internal round exclusively for U of A students in advance of the broader competition. “It was great for our committee,” Steven says. “It allowed us to revise things for the major competition, when we’d have students from across North America we wanted to impress. The best part is this meant we got to help another organization: the Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton [and Area].” Case competitions are nothing new, especially at the U of A, but most of them are narrow in focus. “This competition was multi-faceted, because that’s how not-for-profits work,” Steven

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Education

PHOTOS: CARISSA M THAM OF THERAVENWINE PHOTOGRAPHY

POVERTY PARALLEL: Students attend a poverty simulation, the first ever held specifically for post secondary students.

SHOP TALK: Instructor Howard Harmatz of the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business (who had the winning team) chats with fellow case competition participant Mark Loo.

says. “You wouldn’t do well at this competition if you only Overcoming the absence of information was part of the focused on finance and accounting, or considered yourself a competition’s main objective: change students’ perception of marketing specialist. It’s more of a holistic business approach.” not-for-profits, in order to change the way universities and Once the U of A students completed the internal round business institutions perceive them as well. To date, the Alberta and judges chose a winner, two more Edmonton teams School of Business at the U of A teaches only one not-forentered from MacEwan and profit course – which is not unusual Concordia, along with two other for business schools across North We wanted to introduce the Canadian teams from Manitoba America. Many students disregard a idea of social enterprise creating and Prince Edward Island. Three not-for-profit career simply because social profit. American teams – from Florida, they don’t see potential for profit, – Steven Knight, past VP Academic at Indiana, and American University which leads to the competition’s University of Alberta in Washington, D.C. – rounded out second main objective. “We wanted the eight spots. to introduce the idea of social The four-day event kicked off on February 26, and held enterprise creating social profit,” says Steven. “Instead of only events at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Matrix Hotel, the U of generating economic dollars, you generate social benefit, which A and the Citadel Theatre. “We figured, as students sitting ends up saving money. We said to students, ‘If you decide to do in classrooms all day, they would be reluctant to sit through this competition, you’ll generate social profit by allowing an more talks at night, but they really connected with what the organization to improve efficiency, which in the case of YESS, speakers had to say,” Steven says. He speculates this because means helping more kids, which saves society money.’” there is a general lack of information about not-for-profits at Mark McCormack is a current U of A student, but university business schools. he comes from the opposite end of the business model

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PHOTO COURTESY MARK MCCORMACK

ELIMINATING POVERTY: Created at the U of A, the local Make Poverty History chapter has raised awareness about poverty by urging corporations to run like social enterprises.

continuum, running the U of A chapter of Make Poverty History. He’s familiar goes back into the company’s social mission.” with the terms and glad to see the School of Business also heading to the centre. Making social enterprise the norm is an ambitious “The fact is, charities are not the future, and big business is not the future. mission, and the concept is not completely new, but there Social enterprise is the future,” says Mark. “Even though it makes us feel good are reasons for optimism. The united, global voice of Make to run not-for-profits, they’re not as effective as they should be, because they Poverty History has made significant ground since its don’t always think like a business. And if corporations genesis in 2005. Another sign ran like social enterprises, some big problems could may be the Alberta School There are already signs in already be solved. It’s great to see the School of of Business’s Not-For-Profit Business start the discussion from that side.” Case Competition, which sent the marketplace that when you Large corporations often do the most net good students from around the create a product with a social in places where people have few options and having continent home from Edmonton mission, it sells better. a job – any job – beats going hungry. But getting with a new outlook, creating – Mark McCormack, of the U of A’s branch corporations to think of social benefit can be easier social profit of its own. of Make Poverty History than convincing a charity to splurge on software “There was a student from that increases productivity. A big difference is the the University of Southern measurability of success. It takes years for YESS to figure out how many kids Indiana, an entrepreneurship major who had started a few they get off the streets permanently, into homes and careers. For corporations, of his own businesses,” says Knight. “He said he never gave even ones who provide social profit, it still comes down to dollars. much thought to the not-for-profit sector, and only came “We are starting to see organizations from both sides migrating towards to the competition because he wanted to come to Canada. the middle, because it’s the best of both worlds,” says Mark. “There are already At the banquet, he came up to me and said, ‘I’m going to signs in the marketplace that when you create a product with a social mission, change the entire way I think about business. A business it sells better.” He mentions Telus’ pink phone for breast cancer as an example. that can make economic and social profit is completely “People want to be part of something they believe in. We want to capitalize on viable, I just never thought about it before.’” that, and create profit, but make a legal guarantee that some of the profit Hopefully, it’s just the start.

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Clara’s Big Ride, and other Alberta initiatives, raise awareness for mental health and physical activity by BRYNNA LESLIE Photo by PEDERSEN

OR MONTHS, 57-YEAR-OLD EDMONTONIAN Colin Simpson (pictured above) has been committed to walking 3.2 kilometres per day, the distance from his home to work and back. It may not sound like much, but it’s manageable. And that’s exactly the point.

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“It’s my way of getting moving,” says Colin, who is manager of Volunteer Edmonton and supervisor of The Wellness Network at The Support Network. “I’m doing what I can in my own small way to improve my mental health and physical health, and hopefully inspiring others to do the same.” WE • SUMMER/FALL • 2014

PHOTO COURTESY CMHA

The Support Network Crisis Centre is an umbrella for a number of essential organizations, including 211, the Distress Line, a crisis chat line, a crisis support centre and The Wellness Network, a new web-based service launched by Alberta Health Services that includes a drop-in location for anyone with mental health concerns. The organization’s partner, CMHA Edmonton, offers a number of programs that it hopes the affiliation with Clara’s Big Ride can promote. “CMHA has a range of services promoting mental health and recovery – education, suicide prevention and mental health, first aid training, housing and family support programs and peer-led recovery support,” explains Ione Challborn, the CMHA Edmonton chapter’s executive director. Awareness of these services is essential to social and economic well-being for the more than 20 per cent of Canadians that live with mental illness, she says. “People living with mental illness are not only affected socially, but are also more likely to suffer from economic inequality,” says Ione. “People who suffer from mental illness make up a disproportionate percentage of the population living below the poverty line. Offering services for people with lived experience are important strategies that create pathways out of poverty. Public awareness about mental health issues and education around the stigma associated with mental illness, of which Clara’s Big Ride is a part, is central to this.” Colin, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 17 years ago, says access to IN TANDEM: Ione Challborn, the CMHA Edmonton chapter’s executive resources has made all the difference in his life. His own diagnosis, and subsedirector, pictured in the number two pedalling post above, says public awareness through events like Clara’s Big Ride is key to eradicating quent access to counselling, came as a relief after feeling “different” for much stigma surrounding mental illness. of his life. He recalls his difficult adolescence in Alberta in the 1960s. “I was teased and bullied by boys at school, and I was suicidal at 13,” he says. In his “own small way,” Colin has also raised money as At such a young age, with little public support available, he turned to booze part of Move 4 Mental Health, a new annual fundraiser by and drugs, a way to try to escape and numb the pain that he was experiencing. The Support Network and the Canadian Mental Health AsHe idled through life, went to post-secondary school three times, but says the sociation – Edmonton Region stress of never finding his place contributlaunched in March. ed to three psychotic episodes involving This year, more than 500 people will kill The two organizations suicide attempts, at age 25, 40, and most themselves in Alberta. We need to talk to represent Edmonton as local recently, just after his 50th birthday. partners for a national fundLong before that, he says, the stigma people, talk to kids and let them know there’s raiser by Bell Canada called around mental illness was a great chalsomeone they can talk to. Not talking about Clara’s Big Ride. The national lenge for both Colin and his parents. it isn’t working. event is named for Canadian “I know my parents struggled, won– Colin Simpson, supervisor of The Wellness Network speed skater, cyclist and sixdering what to do with me,” Colin says. at The Support Network time Olympic medalist Clara “Their answer was to get me really busy, Hughes, who embarked on a into music, rodeo and sports – all kinds 110-day ride across Canada this spring to raise awareness of things to keep me moving. Looking back, I can see it was definitely good for and funds to help end stigma about mental health issues. me to be busy and active, to be connected to the community, and through all “When we first heard Bell was looking for community those activities I had a sense of accomplishment when I was able to do well.” champions for Clara more than a year ago, we partThat’s exactly the theme behind Clara’s Big Ride. Clara, who suffered nered with the Canadian Mental Health Association and depression as a teenager, found that through sport, she could mitigate sympapplied,” says Nancy McCalder, executive director of The toms. In fact, a number of studies support the experience of Clara and Colin, Support Network. “Our role has been to take this as an that good nutrition and physical activity can help deter or mitigate symptoms opportunity to leverage Clara’s Big Ride, so we can proand psychotic episodes, in addition to accessing mental health supports. mote local services and raise awareness so people in our “There is no health without mental health,” says Ione. “Positive mental community know where they can go if they have mental health is a product of many things related to self care: eating well, having health concerns.” restful sleep, exercising the mind and the body, enjoying other people and our

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PHOTO COURTESY CMHA

CYCLING FOR CHANGE: As Clara Hughes wheeled into Edmonton in early June, she was met with a crowd of support. Local initiatives tied to the Olympian’s cross-Canada tour helped raise money and awareness for mental health.

natural environment and having meaningful work and volunteer activities. “Physical exercise helps the body relax and rest,” she adds. “It can take us outside and put us in the company of other people. It can help us change up our routines or establish new ones. A little exercise can go a long way.” By fundraising, Colin hopes people will not only be inspired to improve their everyday mental and physical health, but that they will also become aware that there are community services in Edmonton that can help people in crisis. And most importantly, he hopes people will be WEMAGAZINE.CA

inspired by Clara’s Big Ride and Move 4 Mental Health to talk about mental illness more openly. “As a kid I thought there was something very wrong with me and I was ashamed, and there was no one in my community to look up to or to talk to, so I felt very, very isolated,” he says. “This year more than 500 people will kill themselves in Alberta. We need to talk to people, talk to kids and let them know there’s someone they can talk to. Not talking about it isn’t working. “Someone like Clara Hughes is vital to the conversation,” he adds. “She’s speaking out and saying, ‘I’m a six-time Olympian, I struggled with depression. These are not life sentences for the fringes of society, there’s hope and the possibility of a good life these days if you get help.’ ” As Clara arrived in Edmonton on the first day of June, a crowd of people were there to cheer for her and champion the cause in the south part of the city. The mental health fair and evening gala were hosted by The Support Network and the CMHA-Edmonton Region with funding from United Way of the Alberta Capital Region and a number of businesses and private sponsors. “Supporting Clara’s Big Ride is a good way to raise funds for our local services through the Move 4 Mental Health Campaign,” says Nancy. “It also helps to raise awareness about our services and about the fact that getting active, simply going outside and having a walk can clear your head and make you feel better.” At the end of the day, Nancy says both organizations hope tying a local event to a national one will encourage people to seek help if they need it. “If people are having concerns around mental health issues, there is help available,” she says. WE • SUMMER/FALL • 2014

IN FORCE: Bishop Jane Alexander, who heads the Mayor’s Task Force for the Elimination of Poverty, is working towards a goal of no Capital Region resident having to live in poverty.

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Taking

PoverTy ToTask How Edmonton is tackling the problem with a goal of eliminating it by JEN JANZEN

Photos by BUFFY GOODMAN

E COULD FEED THE HUNGRY PEOPLE AND PROVIDE HELPFUL PROGRAMS for those who are struggling to make ends meet, or we could create a world that keeps people out of poverty in the first place.

Jane Alexander, Bishop of Edmonton’s Anglican Church, prefers the second option. As cochair of the recently launched Mayor’s Task Force for the Elimination of Poverty, she is excited to think about proactively approaching the poverty problem. “It’s a really exciting conversation to be having,” Bishop Jane says. “And I think, in Edmonton, we have the resources to make it happen.” The task force officially began on March 20, and is meeting monthly until its conclusion in 2015. It’s a diverse group, involving members from the business, education, social work, faith and provincial government worlds. “We’re drawing the threads together to reach as many angles as we can,” Bishop Jane says. Startup Edmonton CEO Tiffany Linke-Boyko was asked to bring her entrepreneurial perspective to the task force. She says shifting poverty from charity delivery to practical solutions is an important step. “People don’t want to experience homelessness, or live in poverty,” she says. “Creating a world in which they can help themselves – we’re really excited about it.” As of a 2013 report, there are more than 100,000 Edmontonians living in poverty, about 30 per cent of them children. Statistically, the immigrant and Aboriginal populations are more susceptible to poverty: twice as many Aboriginals as non-Aboriginals have low incomes, and about two-thirds of immigrants earn low incomes for at least three years after coming to Canada. “There are so many people working multiple jobs just to try and manage their bills,” says Bishop Jane. “You’ll just start to get your head above water, and then all of a sudden you’ve reached a financial threshold and you don’t qualify for aid anymore.”

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PHOTO COURTESY ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF EDMONTON

One of the ideas the group will be exploring is resiliency: why are some people able to successfully rise out of poverty, while some can’t? Along with housing and transportation issues, they’re also looking at what a living wage means for Edmontonians: how much a person has to make in order to pay for accommodations, utilities, food, daycare and other essentials. Early intervention is another important link: working with parents to make healthy choices for their children, even before the baby is born, and working to provide after-school care, as well as recreation options and improved access to health services. Mayor Don Iveson says the task force is a continuation of work started in 2012, when Edmonton City Council created the Poverty Elimination Steering Committee to look at ways to reduce poverty in Edmonton. The project, co-chaired by representatives of city council and United Way, revealed three needs: to be proactive about preventing poverty while intervening to reduce its impact; to understand who the initiative is serving; and to build awareness and seek solutions as a city. That’s the foundation the task force is building on. “The poverty task force is not completely out of the blue,” Bishop Jane says. “We’re not at the beginning

GROUP EFFORT: Bishop Jane Alexander and Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, joined here with Reverends Susan Oliver Martin and Scott Sharman, believe poverty will only be eradicated with a broad conversation change and action.

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of the conversation. The city has done amazing work preparing for this.” The task force will be joined by two working groups: one focused on aboriginals and why they are over-represented in poverty, and the other on information and research. In his keynote speech at the Mayor’s Symposium on Poverty on March 20, John Rook, president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, said the task force will need to use “cathedral thinking” to solve the problem of poverty in Edmonton. The term references the fact that the world’s greatest cathedrals have sometimes taken centuries to complete. “Cathedral thinking involves the greater collective coming together with a shared vision for the future,” he said. “Shaping Edmonton into a world-class city will take a lot of work: work based on a vision beyond our own times. And that means applying great forethought, taking stock of our resources, and continuing forward – even if we don’t experience the end result.” John encouraged the group to look at poverty elimination as an investment that makes financial sense. He gave an example of a mother who couldn’t fill a prescription for medication because she was $10 short and ended up heading to the emergency room in an ambulance, with her children put into foster care while she was hospitalized, leading to much greater costs than the initial $10 the mother was missing. Is it possible to eliminate poverty? It might seem like a pie-in-the-sky goal, but Bishop Jane says not only

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is it possible, the fact that stakeholders are speaking in terms of eliminating, rather than reducing, poverty represents an important change in how people think of it. “The fact that it’s such a broad conversation means you really are looking at all levels: not only how we can respond to the situations that poverty creates, but how we can change some structural things in our society that mean we don’t create the set of conditions that lead to poverty in the first place,” says Bishop Jane. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but we actually believe that it’s possible: what might we bring to the table to make it work? It’s a fantastically courageous conversation to be having.”

Shaping Edmonton into a world-class city will take a lot of work: work based on a vision beyond our own times. And that means applying great forethought, taking stock of our resources, and continuing forward – even if we don’t experience the end result. – John Rook, president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation Tiffany adds that Edmonton’s vision has already been an inspiration to other communities, with some of the task force members receiving emails from organizations in other communities, extending well wishes to the project and saying they’re excited to see what Edmonton comes up with. “Maybe others can piggyback off of it,” she says. “This project has potential for ripple effects outside of Edmonton.” The task force has committed to presenting a report to Edmonton City Council by December 2015.

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ROLE MODELS: Brendan Chalfour and McKenna Hartman represented Victoria School this spring at a Toronto summit about ways to reduce mental health stigma.

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SET A NEW

NORMAL The foundation of a strong education lies in a concerted and proactive approach to lifelong mental health

by MICHELLE LINDSTROM

photography by CURTIS TRENT

CHOOL KIDS, LIKE THE REST OF US, EXPERIENCE stress and insecurities. And sometimes we brush their concerns under the rug. “Don’t be so dramatic, suck it up,” we tell them. “It’s not a big deal.” But what we are really saying is, “Your concerns don’t matter.” And worse: “Don’t talk about mental health.”

Positive mental health is an indicator that sets up students to succeed academically. Hand in glove, a good education is protective against poverty. “We grew up in a generation where mental health wasn’t seen as a positive thing,” says Jennifer Parenteau, project coordinator for The Way In. When it came to mental health, people gave little thought to taking proactive steps. Thankfully, these days there are multiple capacity-building initiatives – 37, actually – underway in Alberta schools in an effort to improve educational outcomes along with mental health.

JENNIFER PARENTEAU’S PROJECT, THE WAY IN, IS ONE OF those 37 initiatives. It exists because of the forward thinking principals in Mill Woods junior high schools Dan Knott, Edith Rogers and T. D. Baker. They noticed how much administration time was spent supporting families with complex mental health issues.

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To remedy this, Alberta Health Services – Addiction and Mental Health (along with its partners) created a full-time project coordinator position “to engage partners in the community to be able to access resources for parents and to build a wraparound support service, using the school as a gateway to service,” says Jennifer, who took over the role about two years ago. Mill Woods holds some of the city’s most diverse and dynamic neighbourhoods. The population tops out at more than 100,000 people, rivalling that of the City of Red Deer. A full third of those residents are under the age of 20. There is a lot to love about Mill Woods – a plethora of greenspaces, lively community leagues, a great rec centre and more. The area is home to an ethnically diverse population with the highest number of immigrant families in Edmonton. Active community champions are addressing high incidences of crime, domestic violence and poverty within some public housing projects. For many people living in Mill Woods, there is poor access to outreach centres, birth control centres, child psychiatry, full-day addiction recovery programs, alternative schools or low-fee counselling services. The rich cultural and linguistic mix of the area can create barriers to effective service delivery,

compounding the need for more programming and support. The solution was to bring services to the people instead of expecting them to navigate a new system in a language in which they have varying degrees of fluency. By using the three junior high schools as hubs, students, families and community members gained local access to a mental health therapist, mentorship coach, family support worker, addictions counsellor and more. “What we do is build resilience in youth and families by improving mental health though prevention, promotion and intervention programs in the community of Mill Woods,” Jennifer says. She has even noticed a recent decline in students sent to the office for drug-related concerns. “When you have access to an addictions counsellor, you can just ask a question,” she says. “They have access to the right information.” Bringing the resources right to the clients’ door is also an approach Canadian Mental Health Association, Edmonton Region (CMHA - Edmonton) takes with high schools in the city and surrounding areas. One initiative of the association’s Community Education is the Light Up Your Mind School Program. “Teachers request our staff to come out and do presentations

SCHOOL SPIRIT: Brendan and McKenna travelled to Toronto to attend the two-day student-only summit.

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to help students understand more about their own mental students chosen, McKenna and Brendan were two selected health, resilience and coping strategies,” says Ione Challborn, to attend this year’s Unleash the Noise from February 20 CMHA – Edmonton’s executive director. “We explore topics to March 1. around mental illness, stigma, suicide awareness and some of McKenna says it was the brainstorming sessions that all 200 the misconceptions around mental illness that get in the way students took part in that really stuck with her. “We brought of getting support and supporting others.” Teachers usually reback a lot of ideas,” she says. quest all four presentations over the course of the school term. One idea they implemented during the school’s recent MenLight Up Your Mind has successfully run for more than 20 tal Health Week back in May was an agency fair. “We invited years and keeps building its knowledge bank. “The more we counsellors and agencies in the public and Catholic system know as time goes by, the more we can talk about,” Ione says. and resource groups,” Brendan says. “It was open to parents, “The ultimate goal is to bring awareness and to create converteachers and staff.” sation because with awareFor Brendan, it was the ness you break down stigma.” networking opportunities Teachers request our staff to come out Finding resources and in Toronto that impressed and do presentations to help students mentors right in the school is him most. He’s remained in understand more about their own mental an initiative that has worked touch with a few University health, resilience and coping strategies. for Victoria School’s Grade 10 of Alberta students who atto 12 students. Community tended the summit and they – Ione Challborn, executive director, CMHA-Edmonton Helpers, funded by an Alberta continue to discuss future Health Services grant, started mental health initiatives – in the 2012-2013 school year to identify “natural helpers.” possibly an Edmonton Unleash the Noise satellite summit. “We did a survey where everybody wrote down the names Implementing the ideas of youth is also a trend iHuman of the people they go to in the school for help,” says McKenna Youth Society believes in for its “Uncensored” drama theatre Hartman, a Grade 12 Victoria School student and Community program. It started in 2006 as “a research project at the UniHelper. “Whoever’s name showed up five times or more had the versity of Alberta in partnership with iHuman Youth Society, opportunity to go to this training.” and the High Risk Unit of Child and Family Services,” says The training was a two-day retreat where counsellors and Lindsay Ruth Hunt, iHuman Uncensored’s program facilitator. speakers ran sessions for the student helpers about mental The program was so successful that it no longer operates with health, ethics, labelling, trust, teamwork, helping skills, selfprogram funding, Lindsay says, but rather on the money it help, suicide, depression, substance abuse, sexual orientation, earns in its gigs. gender identity, stress, dealing with violence and abuse and Facilities such as libraries, and professionals including social conflict resolution. workers and teachers hire Uncensored to perform. Lindsay Brendan Chalifour was in Grade 10 last year when he was guides the iHuman youth (typically age 14 to 22 who are facing chosen to be a Community Helper and attend the intense high-risk barriers) to create scenes for the specific audience, retreat. “For me, I never really knew anything about mental while letting the kids determine the content and approach health,” he says. “I’m on student leadership and I’ve been learnbased on their own personal experiences. “The youth continue ing more about these programs.” to do the work because they feel they’re making an impact on Last fall Mary Frances Fitzgerald, Victoria School’s curricthe service providers that they’re doing workshops for,” she says. ulum coordinator for counselling, health and wellness, heard “They feel strongly about being heard and having their story about a student summit in Toronto that focused on ways to told.” The youth are also paid for their performances, she adds. reduce mental health stigma. She suggested McKenna and “It flips on its head the assumptions of who holds the knowlBrendan throw their hats in the ring to be chosen to attend edge and how best it should work,” Lindsay says. “We should from among 1,800 hopefuls nationwide. be looking to the youth as to what their needs are and what the The application process seemed straightforward. “It was just barriers are that they come up against.” a couple of questions about how much you already know; what It takes a willingness to listen and learn to make things you would be looking to learn; what you would be taking back; better. It takes a special eye to see what’s right under your nose. and what you planned on doing with the information back in And it means breaking the silence and sharing the truths about your own community,” McKenna says. mental illness, as these groups have done, to dispel myths and Out of the 200 Canadian high school and university reduce stigma. WEMAGAZINE.CA

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SPONSOR PROFILE

benefitting communities

Alberta Blue Cross employees, with the help of the company’s matching campaigns, have contributed more than $1.5 million to United Way since 1992

The company is the province’s largest benefits provider and it has a strong reputation as an organization Albertans can trust. In fact, Alberta Blue Cross was recently named in an Ipsos survey as one of Alberta’s Top 10 Most Loved Brands. “Alberta Blue Cross has a unique mandate to support the health and wellness of Albertans, and we know that our commitment to the communities we serve is an underlying reason for our success,” says Brian Geislinger, vicepresident of corporate relations with Alberta Blue Cross. While Alberta Blue Cross is a not-for-profit organization with limited funds to invest, the company is highly engaged in supporting the communities it serves – both financially and through volunteer time. “Our long-standing commitment to community involvement is truly a credit to the spirit of giving, generosity and volunteerism of our employees,” Brian says. Alberta Blue Cross employees are actively engaged in a wide variety of initiatives to support the community, including involvement in the Canadian Blood Services Partners for Life program, the Row for Kids event in support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Santas Anonymous, monthly Casual For A Cause days as well as regular drives to collect food, clothing and other items for those in need. As an organization committed to safeguarding and promoting its members’ well-being, a strong focus to Alberta Blue Cross’s donations is the health and wellness in the communities it serves. Although Alberta Blue Cross is involved with a variety of other charitable organizations throughout the province, its longest-standing community partnership is with United Way. Since 1992, Alberta Blue Cross has contributed more than $1.5 million to United Way. Thanks to the generosity of Alberta Blue Cross staff and the company’s commitment to matching all employee

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PHOTO COURTESY ALBERTA BLUE CROSS

OES BEING GENUINELY COMMITTED TO MAKING A positive difference at the community level reflect on an organization’s reputation? The people at Alberta Blue Cross like to think so.

TRUE BLUE: Alberta Blue Cross raised more than $148,000 for United Way last year.

donations, last year alone Alberta Blue Cross raised more than $148,000 for United Way. “By supporting United Way, Alberta Blue Cross is glad to be able to reinforce the important role United Way plays in the lives of so many Albertans,” Brian says.

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BUSINESS WAY

A Taste of Reality Student-led MacEwan University initiative puts more than food on the table for attendees by SHELLEY WILLIAMSON

DOZENS OF MACEWAN University students were treated to more than a home-cooked meal when they attended the Meal to End Hunger at the City Centre campus last fall. They also got a taste of poverty. Students were admitted to the event, part of the university’s United Way fundraising campaign, with a $5 ticket, which promised them a meal served up by the Aramark catering staff. But unlike what the brochure advertised, not everyone would dine on a juicy T-bone on that cold evening last November. Upon arrival, diners were given coloured pieces of paper to determine where they would sit, designed to be a represent the different economic groups in society. When the food came, some were served steak with all the fixings atop linen tablecloths, while others were given rice and vegetables and shared water pitchers. A third group was given rice without anything else, including cutlery. “It showed the distribution of how some people may eat compared to others,” says Vineeta Dasoar, campaign manager, public sector, for United Way. “They also had a professor who spoke on poverty and a

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young speaker from United Way who described her experiences of living in poverty and how she overcame it.” Vineeta says events like this are important because the majority of those in attendance were members of Generation Y, a group of young people United Way hopes to engage in various initiatives as the organization moves into the future. “Poverty is such a huge issue where we live; we’re hoping the students will be willing to take action against it.” Staff adviser Clint Galloway, manager of residence services at MacEwan who helped run the event, says most students got the message and were thankful for a new perspective on something they may not have considered – the prevalence of poverty all around them. “The majority of people did understand and get it,” Clint says. “We had people come up to us and thank us and say they learned quite a bit.” Clint says one surprising observation he made during the meal was that the “upper class” table’s patrons seemed to feel uncomfortable about the meal they were served compared to their peers at the “middle” and “lower class” tables. “They went out and shared their steak with other people. Some people didn’t

even want to eat their steak, they were willing to give it away; they just felt so guilty,” he says. The event was intended to give students some perspective. “When we think about our own position, our socioeconomic status, we’re very privileged. Do we share that privilege with other people?” Clint asks. “What do we do to make sure that everyone else has the same privilege, whether it is access to education or the ability to read? It was interesting to see people sharing their food with complete strangers. They would cut it up in three and deliver it to other tables. It was interesting to see that dynamic play out.” Organizers consider the first Meal to End Hunger a success. “It was a really eye-opening experience for them, which is the intention,” says Clint. “The purpose was not to dupe students, not to pull the wool over their eyes, but to basically educate them on the reality of the world when it comes to privilege. Being an institute of higher education, just being here, makes them a higher class. Not a lot of people have access to higher education. They’re an elite group of people.”

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L EADING EDGE

Boots on the Ground Northlands supports United Way with a variety of valuable contributions by LYNDSIE BOURGON

YOU MIGHT KNOW Northlands as the company that hosts fun events like K-Days and concerts at Rexall Place. But what you might not know is that Northlands is also a key community partner for Edmonton’s non-profit organizations, including United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. “Northlands and United Way have incredible records going back probably about 40 years,” says Darryl Szafranski, the director of community relations at Northlands. That four-decade-long partnership encompasses everything from event production to fundraising campaigns, and has brought fun — and advocacy — to the region and Northlands employees over the years. Every year, Northlands staff participate in a workplace campaign, which in 2014 raised just over $20,000. They have also initiated the Day of Sharing, during which Northlands employees head out into the community and donate a day’s worth of work to a community initiative they feel strongly about. “That’s just over $20,000 in estimated volunteer support,” says Darryl. “We’re a not-for-profit service organization. We invest our profits back into our facilities to maintain them, and the rest goes [to] the community.”

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In 2013, Northlands contributed $1.25 million to community initiatives as cash, or value in-kind. Those in-kind contributions include everything from venue rentals to catering. In April 2014, they provided the venue and food for United Way’s UDodge dodgeball tournament. In the past, they have helped organize the River City Round Up “Be Seen in Jeans” Campaign, a United Way fundraiser that allows participants to wear jeans to work throughout Canadian Finals Rodeo Week in November. Northlands also provides in-kind sponsorship of the annual Red Tie Gala. “This fits our

mission of supporting organizations that help increase and enhance the life and community in our region,” says Darryl. Northlands focuses on five community pillars: memory making, education and agriculture, arts and culture, community enrichment and Northlands Neighbours, a granting scheme for community leagues. Under these pillars, they utilize their invaluable experience in event organization to invest in and support various community organizations — making sure worthwhile events and causes get the support they need.

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MILESTONES

Up to the Challenge

by COLLEEN BIONDI

PHOTO COURTESY OF STANTEC

Edmonton’s engineering community steps to the plate through annual Day of Caring activities

DIGGING DEEP: Staff from 15 companies created a community garden for residents of a CMHA apartment building as part of a 2013 Day of Caring.

ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS are a competitive group, vying for contracts in the community and establishing themselves as the go-to people for industry. Since 2006, companies from Edmonton have been using that competitive spirit for the common good and, through the Engineering Challenge, have donated more than $10 million to United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. The Engineering Challenge started with three companies – Colt Engineering Corporation, CoSyn Technology and Stantec Consulting Limited. At its early stages, the companies simply compared their normal annual United Way campaign contributions and the company who made the most donations won a trophy to display for 12 months. Since then, there have been some

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fundamental changes, explains Randy Hills, planning technologist at Stantec. Three specific criteria (employee giving rates, employee participation rates and commitments to best practices) are measured to determine the annual winner. A steering committee of company representatives and United Way staff works together on campaign strategies. Participating companies collaborate on a Day of Caring event each September for one of the funded partners. During a Day of Caring, companies fund and complete a project that a United Way funded partner could not otherwise afford. The Challenge has grown due to the promotion by United Way and by the consulting engineering community, itself. In 2013, staff from 15 companies created a community garden for a Canadian Mental Health Association res-

idence. They built a gazebo and eight garden plots where residents could plant vegetables and flowers. “The experience was unbelievable,” Randy says. Residents are excited about growing some of their own food and sharing the bounty with neighbours. Agency staff members provide lunch and moral support for the event and also share a brief synopsis of their work. It is an opportunity to raise awareness about community issues and the work of United Way, adds Randy, who chaired the steering committee in 2013. “To work side by each with the employees of the member agencies is a real eye opener.” Experiences like this drive real change in the community, says Kevin Fitzgerald, director of corporate partnerships for United Way. Monies collected through the Challenge – more than $1.6 million last year alone – go toward United Way’s efforts to create pathways out of poverty. In fact, the Engineering Challenge has been such a winning concept that other sectors are joining in. The Education Challenge currently involves Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and MacEwan University and is destined to grow. The Heartland Challenge, involving Fort Saskatchewan and Redwater-based companies, is well underway. Randy encourages more sectors to get involved. “It is beneficial for any industry to contribute to the community they operate in,” he explains. “And it is very rewarding.”

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Involved in YOUR community Because well-being is more than just a clean bill of health.

At Alberta Blue Cross, we believe in building healthy and sustainable communities across our provinceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;communities where all Albertans have an equal opportunity to thrive. We work to make a genuine difference in the communities where we live and serve through initiatives like our Healthy Communities Grant Program, Hearts of Blue employee-led charity and annual United Way campaign.

To learn more about our community involvement, visit www.ab.bluecross.ca. ABC 83104 2014/06