Resource sector steps up for Project Hope

Times Contributor 

 

Christmas is a time where bringing joy into children’s lives is forefront in everyone’s mind. Encana, Strathmore’s Encana employees, Global Training, the Elks and many of Encana’s local resource-based business affiliates came together to change children’s lives, when they raised $22,674 in support of Project Hope. 

“I had heard about Project Hope earlier in the year from one of my friends here in Strathmore. I got the information on Project Hope from him and I thought it would be a good fit for what we wanted to do here,” said Dean Pawulski, Encana’s Production Manager in Strathmore. 

Encana is active all year in sponsoring the rodeo and sports in Strathmore, plus promoting a yearlong volunteer time-to-cash employee match program; but their Encana Cares program gives each sub-business unit a small amount money once a year to host an event, to support a charity group in the area and the company matches the funds.

 “It is important that we support the organizations in areas that we work in. People in and around Strathmore grant us licenses to do business here, so it is important for us to give back. When we can be in touch with the community like this, it just ties the knot,” said Pawulski. “To help an organization that helps kids and then the money stays in the community, it was an easy choice. I am proud to work for Encana and more honoured that we can help Project Hope.” 

Pawulski spread the joy of giving, by encouraging Encana business partners to donate when they met for a regular safety meeting. Project Hope came in and showed the group videos of the children at work; then, Palawski said it was an easy sell from there. Linda Tucker, coordinator for Project Hope, said if anyone is interested in coming in and observing the students utilizing the program, they can arrange with her to set up a time.

Project Hope is non-profit organization working in Wheatland County for over 20 years, serving children with diverse, learning, physical, social and medical needs within the school environment. Therapists come in from Calgary and provide specialized services like music programs, art therapy and adapted physical education. 

“This program is unique in Western Canada. It is costly and these children absolutely need this support,” said Tucker, indicating support is needed not just at Christmas, but all year long.

The operating budget every year is over $130,000 and all of that funding goes to the students’ programs, as Board members are volunteers. While Golden Hills School Division donates the facility and allows the programs to be delivered within the school setting, Project Hope is not funded through the government or the school board.

“Some people think that when they pay their school fees, a portion of that goes to Project Hope. It doesn’t. We have to fundraise for every dollar. So we have to do casinos, rely on clubs like the Lions and the Elks, and private donations and corporate donations like this one,” said Corinne Ball, Chairman for Project Hope. “Dean contacted us, which we are very thankful for. We weren’t looking for this, so it is really a bonus for us and very helpful.”

While Project Hope is sometimes confused with Hope Bridges, it is not the same thing but rather an extension of Hope Bridges and a separate entity. 

“It is important for us that we raise the awareness in the community about the program. A lot of people don’t even know about it,” said Ball.

Tucker said that they have seen extraordinary growth in the students involved in the program.

“It is essential in developing their skills. When we read the surveys from parents and the children at the end of the year, we see that it changes their life … really, it changes their lives.”