There's a new fundraising walk in town and its organizers are hoping to drum up support for the group behind one of St. Albert's largest and most visible charity efforts.
Walking for Walls is billed as the Habitat for Humanity Walk. It's been three years since Habitat made its first presence with a project in North Ridge but the international organization's local efforts are now concentrated in Akinsdale where the long-awaited Aurora Place project is well underway. That new development will one day be home for 30 families.
Grant Morris is one of those organizers. He wants to get the word out that building houses is important because it means building homes for families that need them.
"That's a big part of it for us," he exclaimed, explaining that it was also important to keep this event open to as many people as possible by not turning it into a fun run. "We made a conscious decision to make this a 'walk' to focus on the family aspect of it."
The fundraising goal for the St. Albert walk is $20,000. Gordon Food Service, the event's sponsor, has eight distribution centres across the country, each one striving to bring in $50,000 for each event. For every one that meets that goal, GFS will make a matching donation, bringing the local tally to $100,000. If this happens, Habitat will build a home in the greater Edmonton area.
The first Walking for Walls in St. Albert takes place at 11 a.m. next Saturday at Lions Park. Registration is $30 for the five-kilometre walk. There will be entertainment and children's activities, plus a barbecue. Between 150 and 200 participants are expected.
Call either Grant at 780-699-7293 or Nanci Howard at 780-732-3271 to sign up. Volunteers are also requested. Pledges can be made online at www.giving.runningroom.com.
Scrabble games make for serious business
C-H-A-R-I-T-Y is worth more than 15 points in a popular board game. It means a chance to bring conscientious people together to help those half a world away.
The local Grandmothers to Grandmothers group is once again hosting a Scrabble night to raise money to help African families affected by AIDS.
Lee Dioszeghy is one of the members of the group. She knows that players often expect a little competition but it won't be on her account.
"We do have a few in our group who are quite good players," she said, admitting she isn't much for the game herself. "I just have a fun game once a year when other people sponsor me because I feel obliged."
The event takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday May 17 at the St. Albert Senior Citizens' Club. The cost to participate is $10 a person. Players can book a table for four or come as individuals and be matched with others. Register at the club or by calling 780-459-0433.
All proceeds to be shared by the seniors' centre and the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmother to Grandmother campaign.
CPC to float for food during parade
The local members of the Canadian Progress Club have never set up a float for the Rainmaker Rodeo until this year. Now, they're hoping that they can use the opportunity to gather non-perishable food donations for citizens struggling to put supper on the table.
Doug Ritzen is the president of the Alberta North zone of the countrywide service organization. He is enthusiastic that the float will be full when it leaves the parade route, it can drive straight to the St. Albert Food Bank with a truckload.
"It's going to be a relatively simple float," he began. "We'll have guys walking along beside it gathering the food and putting it on the float. At the end, we'll take it over to the food bank and see if we can't build up their stores a little bit."
The parade takes place on the morning of Saturday, May 26 starting at 9:30 a.m. Visit www.rainmaker.ab.ca for more details.
