WCS receives $5,000 donation from CGC Foundation
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
John Watson Photo
The Wheatland Crisis Society (WCS) hosted a tour of their facility, Dec. 5, for CGC representatives following the donation of $5,000 to support the crisis shelter.
The donation was made as part of the CGC Foundation’s “Give Local” program, through which the company makes contributions totalling $230,000 annually to local charities across Canada and the United States.
CGC Inc. announced earlier this year that a $210 million wallboard manufacturing plant will see construction in Carseland begining in 2023. The facility is scheduled to be operational between 2025 and 2026.
The Carseland plant will mark the CGC’s introduction into Wheatland County as an operational enterprise. Steve Stremecki, western Canadian sales manager for CGC, said the company already intends to make itself at home locally, and make a positive impact for the community.
“Now that as much as we are in the process of announcing a plant in Wheatland (County) and it is about three years away, it is already considered part of our family,” he said. “From this day forward, we will be making that annual contribution based on the choices of our employees. I think it is going to be an integral part of what we do going forward, whether it is a charity or just getting involved (within) … the community.”
The tour of the crisis shelter showcased to the CGC members in attendance what the facility is capable of, and how it has been modernized over the past several years.
Similarly, Natasha Fyfe, who spoke on behalf of the WCS, explained how the donation would be used to the benefit of WCS clients.
“This money, albeit unanticipated, goes a long way in helping because it isn’t in the forecasted budget. It allows that growth aid because we are not so heavily dependent on just our government funding,” she said. “All the money that comes in outside of our projected budget goes directly towards client care. So, anything our clients need when they come into the shelter, we can provide for them. Right now, that is winter boots, coats, hats, mittens, and everything above and beyond basic needs.”
She added the WCS shelter, more often that not, is operating at over 70 per cent of its maximum capacity, and is regularly at its maximum.
The WCS as an operating body has been a part of the community for the last 29 years, of which 25 have been in their current facility. That according to Fyfe, emphasized their need to have modernized the place in order to maintain functionality and client comfort.
County Reeve Amber Link added she, on behalf of the County, was grateful to the CGC for their initiative to actively support the local community.
“It exemplifies how cultivating a strong business community contributes to the strength of our community, and we know that all of our businesses, including small businesses, right through to our large industry, are the backbone of our community,” she said. “One of the very first things that CGC approached was letting us know that they do a give-back program within communities everywhere where they have facilities, and so almost immediately they were looking for organizations that serve Wheatland County in this region and looking for ways that they can partner and contribute to the community.”