CGC raises over $31,000 for Trellis Society

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

CGC Inc. hosted their third annual Cowboy Corral in Calgary, ultimately raising $31,595 for the Trellis Society to benefit families in need. 

Bringing together community and business leaders, as well as elected officials, the fundraiser took place July 9, in partnership with the Home Depot Foundation.

“Generally [we raise] above the $20,000 mark. Last year, I think we were at $24,500 … I would say every year we have been able to generate more and more funding,” said Yulia Retunskaya, senior manager of marketing and communications for CGC Inc.. “This year, we probably have the biggest turnout ever. We had more than 100 people RSVP to the event, so it is a full house.”

Steve Youngblut, President of CGC Inc., said it is exciting to see the heartfelt annual response from the local community towards the fundraiser and supporting the local Trellis Society in Strathmore.

“Over the last three years, and especially as we get closer to the completion of our plant which is in about 10 months’ time … the excitement has definitely grown from both our dealers that we sell to, the retailers like the Home Depot, and the contractors and developers around the area,” said Youngblut. “Alberta is booming right now, there is a lot of residential activity and there is a shortage of drywall – so we have a solution for that, not just for the western Canada markets, but for all of Canada.”

Youngblut explained the journey to developing a plant in western Canada has taken the greater part of the last 30 years to bring together. As the project began to cement and take shape more concretely, discussions began as to how to benefit greater communities.

“We thought it was important that we do something like this to try to start to bring people together, not just for our benefit, but for other people around our industry. It has been a great experience over the last three years,” he said.

CGC Inc. maintains significant relations with The Home Depot throughout Canada, being solely responsible for their drywall, ceiling, cement board, and drywall accessories. Youngblut is also seated on the advisory board for the Home Depot Foundation. 

The Home Depot Foundation works to end and prevent youth homelessness in Canada, and break down systemic barriers that youth face to get out of homelessness. Youth make up approximately 20 per cent of the homeless population in Canada, with an estimated national population of between 35,000 and 40,000 people. 

“We see us as a community-building industry where we are looking to provide infrastructure that helps employ people [and] build communities,” said Retunskaya. “Our partnership with the Home Depot Foundation and Trellis Society is really pivotal for helping make that happen because they really have all the connections on the ground, they know all the people, they have all of the outposts set up, and they know people, know where to call. We do not, that is why we work with them to make that happen.”