Tuesday, November 28th will be the tenth anniversary of Giving Tuesday, a global movement of giving and generosity. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, we thought we would look back at our moments of giving over the last year.
In December 2022, we launched our Notes of Thanks program as a way for our Team Members to recognize and thank one another. For every note awarded, $1 is donated to a local charity at the end of the month.
- The first organization to receive such a donation was The Calgary Food Bank, who we are also lucky enough to count as one of our tenants.
- Staff from the Calgary Head Office volunteered at the warehouse that month, sorting and bagging fresh produce.
- Also in December, our Asset Management Department gathered over 350 pounds of non-perishable donations through the generosity of our tenants.
For the first part of 2023, we turned our focus to Indigenous organizations in keeping with our Indigenous Relations Policy. Through our Notes of Thanks program, donations were made to the following:
- January – Spirit North, an organization that uses sport and play to promote health and wellness and to help develop essential life skills for Indigenous youth.
- Also in January, we arranged for 2 scholarships of $1,000 each at NorQuest College for Indigenous students.
- February – Indspire, a registered charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people for the benefit of themselves, their families, and their communities.
- March – Native Counseling Services of Alberta. With services for Indigenous people by Indigenous people, NCSA has evolved to meet the needs of Indigenous people who often feel alienated by legal/court procedures.
We next wanted to focus on our tenants listed as registered charities. Again, through Notes of Thanks, we made donations to:
- April – Momentum, a change-making organization focused on strategies that reduce poverty, such as financial literacy, skills training, and financial empowerment.
- Also in April, we donated to the Fort McMurray Fire Department Charities Association in conjunction with their annual rooftop campout. Six firefighters climbed a fire truck ladder to the roof of Tim Hortons, (a tenant of ours at our Eagle Ridge development), where they spent 100 hours exposed to the elements, camping out to raise money for local charities.
- May – Inclusion Alberta, a family-based non-profit advocating on behalf of those with developmental disabilities
- July – Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society, providing protection and support against family violence and all forms of abuse.
The balance of our donations this year were made to organizations addressing current social or urgent causes:
- June – Egale Canada, Canada’s leading organization for 2SLGBTQI issues. This donation was made in keeping with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion principles and in conjunction with the start of Pride month.
- Also in June, we arranged for 2 scholarships of $1,000 each at NAIT. These scholarship were open to Indigenous students in the Power Engineering and Skilled Trades programs.
- August – We couldn’t ignore the wildfires that ravaged Alberta this year. These fires touched almost all of the 85+ communities in which we operate, so we made August’s donation to the Disaster Aid Canada Alberta Wildfire Emergency Support fund.
- September – With kids heading back to school, Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids was our organization of choice for September. BB4CK works to ensure no student goes hungry.
- October – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In recognition of this, we donated to Wings of Hope, and organization that provides funding for essentials such as rent, groceries, utilities, medications and transportation for anyone receiving treatment from the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary.
- Also in October, we made an additional donation to Indspire in conjunction with Orange Shirt Day / National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We ran a two-part campaign where 1) we donated $5 for every orange shirt our Team Members purchased through 49 Dzine, and 2) we donated $1 for every like, share, comment, or repost our Orange Shirt Day post received on Social Media.
- November – We’ve been focusing our efforts in fundraising for Movember this month. Movember is a global campaign focused on men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancers as well as mental health and suicide prevention. Edon put together a Movember team and we are well on our way to achieving our fundraising goal. We will also be making a donation to this worthy cause at the end of the month.
- Also in November, staff from our Calgary Head Office once again volunteered at the Calgary Food Bank.
Upcoming for December 2023:
- We will again be making a donation to the Calgary Food Bank through our Notes of Thanks program.
- As well, our Asset Management Department will also be making a donation to the Calgary Food Bank on behalf of their tenants this holiday season.
We sincerely thank everyone who has participated in our Notes of Thanks program this year, as well as our Food Bank volunteers, those who participated in our Orange Shirt campaign, our Movember Team and supporters, and everyone who contributed to such a wonderful year. We look forward to another great year of giving in 2024.
