Communities in Bloom set to expand with help

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

Chinook Financial announced it will be continuing its yearly $1,000 financial contribution towards the Communities in Bloom birth forest in Strathmore until the year 2020.
In addition, Chinook Financial is making a one-time contribution of $2,500 to go towards the es-tablishment of the new birth forest.
According to Kimberley Sharkey-Thompson, Chinook Financial contributes so the non-profit Communities in Bloom can be assured of the $1,000 yearly funding for a few years to come.
“Every year, Communities in Bloom has come back to us and requested another year of spon-soring,” she said. “And so this year, in addition to the $1,000, we’re also making a commitment to do the $1,000 in 2017 to 2020.”
The branch manager also said Chinook Financial staff volunteers their time and assistance planting the trees in the birth forest.
Rob Pirie, chairman of Strathmore Communities in Bloom, said of Chinook Financial’s contribu-tion: “It’s fantastic. It’s truly a commitment to the community of Strathmore.”
The new birth forest will be moving along Centennial Blvd., starting at Thomas Drive and head-ing eastward. Communities in Bloom will incorporate pathways and benches in the new birth forest community. Forty-five trees will be planted in the new spot starting next spring.
Pirie said that the birth forest was started along Green Meadows drive nine years ago, and vol-unteers have planted 45-plus trees there every year since then.
“We’ve filled that area and, as a result, we’re moving, and so we asked the credit union if they’d be willing to sponsor us again, so they came through and helped sponsor us,” Pirie said.
Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the chal-lenge of a national program, with focus on enhancing green spaces in communities.
Pirie said the idea of the birth forest is to develop a sense of community and a feeling of accom-plishment.
Sharkey-Thompson said Chinook Financial is always looking for ways to give back to the com-munity and it is within the company’s mandate and cooperative philosophy to give back to the community in ways that make a difference.
“Communities in Bloom is just one of those organizations that has a real positive impact for the community,” she said. “One of our pillars is looking for those types of organizations that have a strong, real positive impact.”
Eagle Lake Nursery and the Town of Strathmore have also been major partners in sponsoring this project along with Chinook Financial.
“We couldn’t be doing this without support from council and Eagle Lake Nursery,” Pirie said. “Anita Hoover (Eagle Lake Nursery) has done a tremendous job of supporting us over the years. We would not be able to do it without them because they also are making a huge financial commitment to this and have been for the last eight years.”
Communities in Bloom is made up of volunteers and is always looking for more volunteers. Those who are interested can go to the Strathmore Communities in Bloom website or Facebook page for more information.