The Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation got a big boost last week on what would have been Jessica Martel's 37th birthday.
For Martel's mother, Lynne Rosychuk, Dec. 6 is always a difficult day. This past Friday, the day also became one to celebrate when Morinville-St. Albert UCP MLA Dale Nally presented the foundation with a cheque for $75,000 to help cover operational costs of Jessie's House, a shelter for people who are fleeing domestic violence.
Rosychuk says the shelter was a dream she and her daughter shared. Martel was murdered in 2009 by her common-law husband before that dream could come true.
Martel’s mom said she is so proud of the house and how it honours the person Martel was. The shelter is set to open in early 2020.
“I don’t want (Jessica's) kids to remember all the horrible things that happened to her. I want them to remember the good that she was. People know that about Jessica and that's why there's so many people that step up and support this, and my family is extremely grateful to everybody that's helped us build this,” Rosychuk said.
The $75,000 given to the organization last week is only a small portion of what the home needs to get up and running. Rosychuk said they are still fundraising to meet their goal to open in the spring.
The house will be able to support 36 families and will have rooms available for people with different accessibility needs. It will serve people of any age and gender, including families from the Sturgeon region, including the City of St. Albert, Edmonton Garrison and Alexander First Nation.
Nally said he was extremely proud to present the cheque to Jessie’s House which will help take care of those in need in society.
“This government has made it clear that balancing the budget is absolutely important. But so is taking care of the most vulnerable,” Nally said.
The money comes out of the Community Facility Enhancement Program grant, which has shrunk slightly this year when compared to previous years. This year, three St. Albert organizations were also awarded the grant, including $125,000 for the Keenooshayo and Neil M. Ross playground, $49,475 for the Star of the North retreat house and $125,000 for for the Leo Nickerson school playground for a total of $299,475. In the 2018-19 fiscal year, there were four grants handed out worth $355,127.00, and in 2017-18, six grants were given out for a total of $327,829.00.
Nally said there was less money handed out this year because the government needs to use fiscal restraint. Nally noted Alberta has always been a very generous province and the MacKinnon Report that came out earlier this year advised the province to no longer be an outlier when it comes to spending.
“We still have an obligation to take care of the most vulnerable. And so it's about making tough decisions and making sure that the people that do get the grants are the ones that absolutely need it. And I'm very proud to say that, you know, Jessie's House does need this grant and will benefit from it immensely,” Nally said.
St. Albert MLA Marie Renaud said these days non-profit dollars are stretched so thin this grant is vital to organizations needing to make enhancements to their facilities.
“The cut in the overall amount that’s doled out is just counterproductive and that's not how you invest in communities.”
