Feature image: (left to right) Stanley Myles, Scott Neurauter, Shandi Norman, and Donna Smith (kneeling) from the Saskatoon office drop of their donations to SK Ronald MacDonald House.
The end of year lends itself to reflection, and we love the diverse range of groups that Allnorth team members have supported during 2023. Giving back is woven into Allnorth’s cultural fabric, and championing causes close to home allows us to uplift and celebrate our various communities. By volunteering time, collecting much needed items, or with direct cash donations, each Allnorth office finds a way to give back to the people in their area.
CALGARY
Food insecurity is a reality faced by so many, and our Calgary team took this to heart. Led by Michelle Hover, Kathleen Coyne, and Rosario Gentile, our Calgary team collected $900 in food donations (180 food items) for the Calgary Food Bank (CFB). CFB reports that 88,399 unique clients were served through emergency food hampers last year.
In alignment with our key principle “Safety in Everything We Do,” Allnorth created a friendly ‘competition’ to increase comfort levels with new safety compliance software – by matching team member usage to a dollar amount. Each office chose where their ‘winnings’ were donated, and Calgary’s team members’ $500 went to Alberta Children's Hospital.
Calgary team member, Andrew Peach, took charge of making Movember happen, and through his energetic support of the project, raised $1,495. Movember funds health projects tackling mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
CHETWYND
The Hospital Activity Book for Children (HABFC) creates activity books that are packed full of games, puzzles, colouring pages, and word searches. Each child in the program receives their own book, and as HABFC says, “It’s a small gift but it makes a big difference to the kids.” The Chetwynd Allnorth team members supported the program with a $625 donation, which surely brought smiles to many sick children’s faces.
Near the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, Chetwynd epitomizes small-town spirit and excitement, and many community members and families from the area utilize the Pine Valley Motor Sports Club (PVMS) facility. This year, our Chetwynd Allnorth team members donated $500 to the PVMS Club to host the Peace Motocross Championships from August 18 to19.
GRANDE PRAIRIE
Pi Day resonates with engineers, and our Grande Prairie office went the distance! No whipped cream was spared to raise $435 for their two chosen charities: Bandaged Paws Animal Rescue Association and Wapiti House. Bandaged Paws help in-need animals find permanent and loving homes. Grande Prairie Rotary House, known as Wapiti House, provides shelter and support to adults experiencing homelessness in Grande Prairie. And finishing the year with a warm and fuzzy hug, Grande Prairie Allnorth team members delivered 120+ non-perishable food items along with a $300 donation to the local charity group Helping Hands Society of Grande Prairie.
HERMOSILLO
Our Allnorth office in Mexico chose to extend a helping hand to two charities this year, supporting immigrants, the children’s hospital, and the homeless in their community. Team members collected toys, candy, children’s drawing books, 50 water bottles and more, donating them to Unique People A.C. which supports the Hermosillo Children's Hospital and immigrants. Their other charity of choice was Vida Plena Corazón Contento A.C., donating food and pantry items to help those who are struggling to survive.
KAMLOOPS
Our Kamloops office has been supporting the Salvation Army’s Christmas Assistance fund for five years. This is an opportunity to directly enhance the holiday season for a local family with practical assistance to those in need at Christmas. Led with great spirit by Kendra Smith, Macy Hommel and Sarah Grootendorst, the entire Kamloops team raised $600 to support a single mom with three children.
KELOWNA
In June, Kelowna team members proudly represented Allnorth at our sponsored hole for the UDI Golf Tournament on The Bear Course at the Okanagan Golf Club. They had the pleasure of playing alongside our clients, Brant Jackson and Hans Neumann. The tournament raised an impressive $8,600 for the Canadian Mental Health Association.
And in a similarly sporty vein, the Project Delivery Group organized a tennis event to raise funds for the Vernon Tennis Association, supporting youth tennis outreach in the north Okanagan.
NANAIMO
Our Nanaimo office takes their charitable giving seriously with not one, not two, but six opportunities to give back to their community. For the third year, they rang the bells at the Salvation Army kettles. Thirteen generous team members took time from their day to fill seven two-hour shifts at the Allnorth sponsored kettle.
Our Nanaimo team enjoyed last year's positivity so much, they’re back for year two with Christmas Angels through Volunteer Nanaimo. This year, they sponsored five disadvantaged teens. On top of the gifts donated by our team and $500 from Allnorth, $1,045 was collected to top up the teens’ wish lists and provide groceries to other persons in need. Items included necessities such as toiletries, warm clothes and footwear, snacks and treats, crafts and hobbies, bedding, backpacks, and lamps.
Next up, the Nanaimo office donated $1000 to the Mercer mental health campaign for the Suicide Prevention Resource Centre in Grimshaw and Grande Prairie.
Team sports help youth build mental, emotional, and physical resilience giving them better opportunities to succeed. In light of this, the Nanaimo office sponsored two youth sports teams: the Nanaimo diamonds U13 girls' softball team and the Mid-Island Pirates baseball team.
In September 2022, the Nanaimo team members started the Charity Canteen: snack packs of nuts, protein bars, chips, fruit leather, etc. in the lunchroom were provided for people to buy to stave off munchies and supplement lunches. Proceeds from the sale of healthy office snacks are donated to local charities. Canteen users nominate local charities which are then put to a vote. Spring 2023’s saw $175 go to Island Crisis Care Society who help those who are in crisis to find the support, resources and services they need to recover and be well.
PRINCE GEORGE
Prince George team members vote annually on three local charities to benefit from their various fundraisers. This year, they pulled out all the stops, raising $6,750, which meant $2,250 each was donated to the Prince George Rotary Hospice House, Prince George Salvation Army, and Canadian Mental Health Association. Fundraisers include a year-round candy/snack cupboard, bake sales, Pi Day event, and various office events such as Valentine’s Day guessing game, March madness event, a poker tournament, and more.
The Prince George (PG) team also supports other local events with smaller donations of cash or Allnorth swag: Ness Lake Bible Camp Polar Bear Dip, Northern Health Spirit Day, EGBC Bridge Building Contest, Pineview Volunteer Fire Department, Buckhorn Elementary School hot lunch program, and the Prince George Senior Secondary Dry Grad. Go, Team PG!
SASKATOON AND REGINA
Several of our Saskatoon team members had the chance to take part in the "Home for Dinner" program for the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Saskatchewan. The team enjoyed preparing and serving dinner, touring the facility, and enjoyed some great conversations with the guests and the staff for and all-round rewarding experience. Great job Soliel, Curtis, Nathan, Darcy, Donna, and Scott!
With a spectacular garden party theme, team members Donna, Soleil, Carla, and Jayelle took part in the 37th Annual Ladies Golf Classic, as part of the Red Jacket Classic Series, also in support of the RMHC Saskatchewan. The charity supports families caring for sick children receiving medical treatment.
Regina stepped up to the plate, donating $200 to the Phoenix Residential Society – HOMES Program, a community-based health-care organization. The HOMES Program is a “housing first” model that aims to provide immediate access to housing for individuals who are chronically homeless along with providing intensive support services once the person is in housing. The donation was allocated to the Christmas lunch for food and other items that will contribute to a festive Christmas meal. In addition, Lisa from the Regina office made a personal donation and provided 75 pieces of Rice Crispy cakes for the meal.
"My daughter works for the HOMES program and was very excited to hear about the donation." - Lisa H, Regina office
ST JOHN’S AND GANDER
Our St. John’s and Gander offices showed support for the Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) by buying the team lunch on McHappy Day. This special day sees a portion of the proceeds from every McDonald's menu item sold go towards raising much needed funds for the families supported by the RMHC NL.
TERRACE
The Terrace office showed up with their support for charitable groups to the tune of $3,000. Their chosen groups included the Terrace Skating Club, the Terrace Minor Hockey Club, and the 69th annual 2023 Terrace Rotary TV Auction.
VANCOUVER
Our Vancouver office donated $3,400 to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank ($1,700 team member donations and $1,700 corporate donation to match). Cash donations go further than actual food donations because of the buying power of the food banks; a wonderful way to increase the effectiveness of your donation. Similar to the Calgary team, Vancouver team members chose to support the BC Children’s Hospital with their safety ‘competition winnings’ of $375. And the Vancouver Pi Day event raised $375 which went to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, serving women in the Downtown Eastside since 1978.
PI DAY
On Pi Day, otherwise known as March 14, our science-minded team members gathered to celebrate Pi Day with a traditional pie throwing contest. But, pictures are worth a thousand words, we hear. Enjoy some of the shenanigans, all to help raise funds for charities addressing homelessness, animal welfare, and mental health.
