Recent news and events concerning the Red Deer & District Community Foundation.

Community Foundation of Central Alberta Awards $10,500 to Three Sylvan Lake Organizations

 

The Community Foundation of Central Alberta (CFCAB) has awarded $10,500 through the Sylvan Lake Community Grant program to support three vital community initiatives serving residents in the Sylvan Lake area. These community-minded programs were chosen by an adjudication committee made up of Sylvan Lake residents who best know their community’s needs.

About the Sylvan Lake Community Fund

The Sylvan Lake Community Fund is a permanent endowment fund held by the Community Foundation of Central Alberta that provides ongoing support to local charitable organizations and community projects. Through annual granting, the fund addresses important needs in Sylvan Lake and surrounding areas, helping to build a stronger, more vibrant community for all residents.

Grant Recipients for 2025

Sylvan Lake Community Partners Association – $3,500

Now in its 25th year, the organization received funding to sustain essential programming for vulnerable residents. The grant supports hygiene products, school supplies, taxi services for medical appointments, emergency dental and vision care, family swim programs, and after-school activity fees for low-income families. Programs serve residents in Sylvan Lake and surrounding communities including Bentley, Benalto, Eckville, Rimbey, and Red Deer County.

Bethany Sylvan Lake – $4,000

This level 4 long-term care facility serving 61 residents received funding to replace shower commode chairs that have exceeded their lifecycle. The specialized equipment provides safer bathing and toileting experiences while preserving dignity and reducing fall risks for residents with mobility challenges. The facility aims to replace all eight outdated chairs by the end of 2026.

Sylvan Lake Lodge Foundation – $3,000

The Lodge Foundation received funding for their Seniors’ Quality of Life Enhancement Project, which addresses the needs of Sylvan Lake’s growing senior population (14-15% of residents). The project will expand recreational programming, create a Zen garden, upgrade common area furniture, and provide a commercial ice maker—all designed to reduce social isolation and support seniors aging in place.

These grants reflect CFCAB’s commitment to supporting programs that enhance quality of life, preserve dignity, and address critical needs across the Sylvan Lake community.

Get to Know the Broom Tree Foundation

It’s been an incredible year for our friends at the Broom Tree Foundation. After years of dedicated work supporting women across in Lacombe and surrounding area, Broom Tree received their charitable status in July 2025. In November, they moved into a beautiful new space donated by the Lacombe Pentecostal Church, transforming their capacity to fulfill their mission of providing refuge, restoration and rebuilding to women and their families.

Who is the Broom Tree Foundation, and what do they do?

Here’s what you need to know about this vital community organization.

Their Mission

The Broom Tree Foundation provides safe, supportive housing and comprehensive programming for women in crisis. Their approach goes beyond shelter to create pathways to independence through transitional housing, life skills training, direct personal connections, and wraparound support services.

The Broom Tree Foundation also operates the Broom Tree Café, a social enterprise that empowers people who have been excluded from work opportunities.

Their Impact

The numbers tell a powerful story:

  • 60 women and children have been housed in Broom Tree’s three transitional units and community housing
  • 27 women and children have been provided emergency stays in local hotels
  • over 500 women have been supported, not including their children, by providing food security, ongoing groups that build community, opportunities to form connections through the Broom Tree Sister Program, resource navigation, therapy support, and assistance with immediate needs related to addiction or domestic violence
  • 50 volunteers have been trained to walk alongside others in need of support, encouragement, and friendship in the Broom Tree sisters Program

Recent Growth

The incredible gift of a building and land by the Lacombe Pentecostal Church will allow the Broom Tree to both maintain and increase their capacity. This new space will house the foundation’s offices, expand their programming space, and add two additional transitional suites. This expansion comes at a critical time, as housing insecurity and women’s safety remain pressing concerns across Alberta.

The Broom Tree Foundation also recently received a $100,000 donation of securities, facilitated by the Community Foundation, which will further help to provide financial stability for their expanded operations.

“Donations of securities allow donors to make substantial impact while receiving tax advantages. This is a win-win that enables organizations like Broom Tree to plan for sustainable, long-term programming and operations.” – Erin Peden, CFCAB Executive Director

Why It Matters

Behind every statistic are individual stories of transformation. Women who needed Broom Tree for safety, housing, and support are now building healthy relationships, returning to school, securing employment, attaining stable housing, and breaking cycles of trauma.

The Broom Tree Foundation’s success is really Lacombe’s success story. The work they are doing is a testament to what’s possible when a community comes together to support its most vulnerable members. As they settle into their new home, they’re expanding both their physical footprint, as well as their ability to serve each woman who needs a helping hand in seeking a new beginning.

“The Broom Tree’s work is rooted in understanding and resilience. They know that when a woman has compassionate support and a stable place to call home, everything else becomes possible. Every day, the Broom Tree is fostering healing, growth, independence.” – Erin Peden, CFCAB Executive Director

With their work, the Broom Tree Foundation is planting seeds of transformation in Central Alberta. The harvest they’re cultivating is measured in rebuilt lives, restored dignity, and renewed hope. These stories of hope will continue to nourish the community for generations to come.

,

Community Foundation of Central Alberta Awards $30,000 for Fall 2025 Microgrants Program

The Community Foundation of Central Alberta (CFCAB) is proud to announce $30,000 in funding through its Fall 2025 Microgrants Program, supporting six innovative community initiatives across Central Alberta. These projects reflect a diverse range of approaches to strengthening our community through youth development, cultural engagement, reconciliation, and social innovation. Recipients for this round of grants include:

Best Buddies Canada – The Youth Leadership Program

Best Buddies Canada will launch its Youth Leadership Program in Red Deer, serving 30 youth with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities between January 2026 and January 2027. The program empowers participants through public speaking, community engagement, and leadership training, with youth leadership teams meeting at least twice monthly for workshops focused on self-advocacy and empowerment. Funding will cover inclusive events and activities, comprehensive training in disability advocacy and storytelling, and distribution of program materials throughout Red Deer.

Red Deer & District Museum Society – Central Alberta Arts Audience Development Research

The Red Deer & District Museum Society will conduct comprehensive arts audience development research to establish benchmarks of awareness and familiarity, understand local audience expectations, and identify programming opportunities for future growth. The research outcomes will be publicly released and workshopped with the local creative community, providing valuable data that other arts organizations in Central Alberta can use to inform their own approaches and support discussions about developing Red Deer’s creative economy.

Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society & Collaborators – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Community Gathering

This grant supported an inclusive community gathering on September 30, for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. The event was intended for meaningful connection, story sharing, and community healing. Opening with a Pipe Ceremony, the gathering featured tipi storytelling with Elders, a shared story wall creating a living archive, Indigenous film screening, interactive activities including traditional games and rock painting, and a culminated with a Round Dance. The event included a community meal bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together to celebrate, heal, and thrive.

Red Deer Food Bank Society & ReThink Red Deer’s Common Ground Garden Project – Social Enterprise Capacity Development in Red Deer

The Red Deer Food Bank Society, in partnership with ReThink Red Deer via the Common Ground Garden Project, is working on developing a social enterprise with a potential kitchen and indoor growing system infrastructure. This grant enabled attendance at the SVI Alberta Retreat at Metis Crossing with non-profit and funder representatives, and will also include community engagement sessions in Red Deer to foster social enterprise collaborations and establish case studies and lessons learned for future endeavours.

The Broom Tree Foundation – The Broom Tree Sisters Program

The BT Sisters Mentorship Program supports vulnerable individuals in Central Alberta through sustainable relationships that empower participants to overcome barriers and develop skills for healthy relationships. With 50 volunteers currently matched with women in the community, this grant will strengthen the program through trauma-informed training and supervision, structured guidelines and mentor screening, team-based peer-support models, and referral and emergency planning training to build a stronger, more sustainable mentorship ecosystem.

YMCA of Northern Alberta – Launching Fall Break SKY High Camps for Youth Navigating Complex Social Landscapes

The YMCA of Northern Alberta will launch a SKY High camp during the November 2025 fall school break, providing free structured experiences for high-barrier youth. The camp supports youth as they build resilience, enhance self-esteem, develop leadership, and create positive social connections through workshops and recreational activities including healthy relationships education, goal development, outdoor skills, financial literacy, and mental health support.

Through these diverse initiatives, CFCAB’s Fall Microgrants Program continues to support community-driven solutions that strengthen Central Alberta’s social fabric, promote inclusion and reconciliation, and build capacity for long-term community wellbeing

,

Nature for New Canadians Brings Youth Camping Experience to Alberta Wilderness

Seventeen young newcomers to Canada experienced their first camping trip this summer through the Nature for New Canadians 2025 Youth Camping Trip. This initiative was delivered in partnership by Care for Newcomers (Care), the Waskasoo Environmental Education Society (WEES), with partial funding from the Community Foundation of Central Alberta.

This year’s campers, from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Jordan, Kenya, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Vietnam, spent multiple days at Aspen Beach Lakeview Campground, where many saw mountains up close and shooting stars for the first time.

Building Skills and Shifting Perspectives

The multi-day immersion gave participants hands-on experience with hiking, campfire cooking, camp chores, and wildlife education. Campers learned practical outdoor skills and gained a new sense of both independence and interdependence while experiencing many of the well-documented benefits of connecting with nature.

“Programs like this highlight the importance of making nature accessible and welcoming for everyone. By introducing new Canadians to Alberta’s parks and protected areas, we are able to foster a stronger connection to the land and create opportunities for people to build meaningful relationships with the environment—and with each other,” said Alberta Parks Staff involved with the program.

“Interpretive activities play a key role in building comfort and confidence in outdoor settings, helping newcomers feel informed, empowered, and inspired to return to these landscapes and explore further developing a lasting appreciation for Alberta’s natural spaces.”

Creating Common Ground

Beyond practical outdoor skills, the program addressed a less obvious but potentially more significant outcome: cultural integration.

Camping is a widespread childhood experience for many Albertans, creating a shared cultural reference point. By participating in this tradition, newcomer youth now have common ground with their Canadian-born peers—a foundation for connection, belonging, and mutual understanding.

“These kids grow up seeing each other as equals, with shared interests and diverse experiences,” program organizers noted.

The transformation was documented through staff observations and post-trip survey responses, which showed growth in both independence and group cohesion among participants.

The Nature for New Canadians program is planning another trip for Summer 2026, where it will provide more newcomer youths with access to experiences that foster both practical skills and social belonging in their new home. This powerful experience will continue to open doors to new relationships with nature—ones built on respect, curiosity, and a growing sense of comfort in a new country.

CFCAB Awards Over $204,000 in Scholarships in 2025

The Community Foundation is proud to announce that it has awarded more than $204,000 in scholarships to 39 deserving students in 2025, helping to remove financial barriers and open doors to educational opportunities across our region. These scholarships represent a significant investment in the future leaders, innovators, and changemakers of our community.

“Scholarships are transformative tools that can change the trajectory of a student’s life,” said Erin Peden, Executive Director of the Community Foundation. “By reducing financial barriers to education, we’re not just funding tuition and books – we’re investing in dreams, potential, and the bright futures these students will create. Each scholarship recipient represents possibility, and we’re honored to play a role in their educational journey.”

From memorial scholarships that leave a lasting legacy, to family scholarships that demonstrate community values, the awards distributed this year demonstrate the profound impact that can be achieved when access to education is prioritized. Each of these awards are made possible by the generosity of donors and fundholders who understand that investing in education is investing in the community’s future.

In establishing endowed scholarship funds, and making annual contributions, these philanthropic partners believe deeply in giving students access to a brighter future, regardless of their financial circumstances. Their commitment ensures that talented and motivated students can pursue their educational goals without the burden of overwhelming debt.

Each of these scholarships represents a step towards greater equity in education, allowing students from diverse backgrounds to thrive and succeed.

Summer 2025 Microgrants Awarded to Three Agencies

With the goal of supporting agencies to fulfil their missions, three grants of $5,000 each have been awarded to Boys and Girls Club Wolf Creek, the Mountain View Emergency Shelter, and the Wild Rose Humane Society for the Community Foundation’s Summer 2025 Microgrants cycle. These grants provide financial support for three important initiatives while also representing the Foundation’s commitment to fostering positive change within our community.

The Boys and Girls Club Wolf Creek has provided safe, affordable, reliable, and successful programming to support children, youth, and their families for over 20 years. This funding will enable them to keep the wheels rolling on their 24-passenger bus, which is critical in helping the agency ensure safe access and daily transportation to programming for youth.

The Mountain View Emergency Shelter in Olds will use the grants for their Vision Forward efforts which will help to chart the future of the organization in the form of strategic planning, funding exploration, and marketing development. These future-facing steps will help the agency to fulfill its mission to support individuals and families to live free from family violence and abuse.

Lastly, the Wild Rose Humane Society, located in Didsbury, will use the grant for their innovative Companion Connections initiative. This program fosters meaningful interactions between individuals with disabilities and shelter animals, creating opportunities for connection, healing, and companionship for both participants and animals.

Together, these grants embody a spirit of generosity that strengthens our social fabric. They remind us of the importance of investing in organizations that uplift others—ensuring a brighter future for all members of our community.

Youth in Philanthropy: Building Future Community Leaders

The Community Foundation of Central Alberta’s Youth in Philanthropy has had another successful year!  This year, Mattie McCullough Elementary and St. Martin de Porres School embraced the challenge of becoming young philanthropists.

St. Martin de Porres School is a longtime participant in the YiP program, having been involved since 2018.  This year the students worked hard to raise money through both an Art Sale held at Velvet Olive, as well as a Garage Sale held at the school. Their efforts resulted in $1,369.50 raised for the Canadian Cancer Society and Saving Grace Animal Society, with $1,000 going back into the Youth in Philanthropy Endowment, to ensure the continuation of the program.

Mattie McCullough Elementary participated in Youth in Philanthropy for the first time this year. They planned two Sock Hops, and also collected bottles to raise funds for their grant to the Central Alberta Humane Society. The students raised enough money to donate $822.50 to the Humane Society, and contribute $250.00 back into the YiP Endowment.  

“I am continually amazed by the thoughtfulness and maturity these young students demonstrate throughout the grant-making process,” says Erin Peden, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Central Alberta. “The dedication of the teachers who guide them is equally impressive – they’re nurturing the next generation of community leaders. The impact extends far beyond the grants these students award; we’re seeing students develop a genuine understanding of their role as engaged citizens.”

The Youth in Philanthropy program provides students with hands-on experience in charitable giving. Each participating school receives $500 to distribute as grants to local registered charities, creating genuine stakes that go far beyond abstract learning. Students research potential recipients, share their information, and engage in collaborative decision-making that mirrors professional grant-making processes.

By actively involving students, the program plants seeds of social awareness at a crucial developmental stage when children are forming their understanding of their role in society. The highlight of the program is the gathering where students present cheques to their chosen grant recipients, experiencing firsthand the satisfaction of making a positive community impact.

Youth in Philanthropy succeeds by treating young people as capable decision-makers rather than passive learners. Through genuine trust in their abilities, the program transforms students from observers into active community participants, preparing them to become the engaged, compassionate leaders their communities will need in the future.

Community Tour Spurs Conversation and Awards Grants

This past Spring, the Community Foundation celebrated a significant milestone by taking its 35th anniversary celebrations directly to the communities it serves. The Community Tour saw the Foundation hit the road throughout Central Alberta, visiting eight local communities with coffee, treats, and most importantly, open ears ready to listen. These stops provided invaluable opportunities to connect with residents and understand their unique perspectives on what makes their communities special and what challenges they face.

The conversations revealed a rich tapestry of community life across the region. Residents proudly shared stories of wonderful neighbours, innovative programs, and inspiring community collaborations. From successful local initiatives to unexpected gems like great shoe stores, the tour highlighted the diverse strengths that make each community unique. These positive encounters demonstrated the resilience and creativity that characterize Central Alberta’s communities.

The tour also brought to light pressing challenges that resonate across the region. Housing difficulties, transportation accessibility issues, affordability concerns, and the need for greater community engagement emerged as significant obstacles affecting nearly every community visited. These obstacles underscore the importance of regional collaboration and targeted support to address systemic issues that transcend municipal boundaries.

Yet amidst these challenges, one thing stood out: a profound sense of care among residents who are working to ensure that their communities are thriving places where everyone feels they belong. It is this spirit of belonging that fuels the Community Foundation’s mission and inspires us to work collaboratively towards solutions that benefit everyone.

“It was incredibly rewarding to connect directly with community members across Central Alberta and witness the power of collaboration in action. These conversations have deepened our understanding of both the remarkable strengths and pressing challenges that define our region,” said Erin Peden, CFCAB Executive Director. “This tour reminded us of the perseverance and sense of community that exists here in Central Alberta. As well as some incredible cinnamon buns.”

The Community Foundation reinforced its commitment to these communities by awarding 25 grants totaling $41,650 to organizations across ten communities during the tour. This direct investment, combined with the insights gained from community conversations, will help inform the Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support meaningful change throughout Central Alberta.

*Grants were distributed based on applications received, as well as funding from funds earmarked for specific communities, due to donor’s wishes.
,

Teen mentoring program expands to Blackfalds

As a part of the Winter 2024 round of the Community Foundation’s Community Microgrant program, a grant was awarded to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lacombe and District to expand their Teen Mentoring Program to Iron Ridge Elementary Campus in Blackfalds, after the success of the program in Lacombe.

The teen mentoring program creates belonging and community by matching teen mentors with elementary students for opportunities to spend time together during school hours. The goal of the program is to address social isolation and community wellness gaps, two areas that were identified in a recent Social Needs Assessment. This program fills those gaps by providing young students with role models, resilience, and social connections.

“We have really witnessed the connections between mentors and mentees grow since the program started,” says Jen Harty, BBBSLD Community Engagement Director. “The teen mentoring program isn’t just about individual growth, it’s about building a stronger, more interconnected community. The teen mentors have played a vital role in supporting the mentees social development and emotional well-being. At the same time, the mentors have experienced their own personal growth, enhancing their communication, leadership, and problem-solving abilities,” Harty continued.

Once a week, the trained teen mentors are provided transportation to the elementary school where they meet with their mentees to spend time together. The pairs are given access to a multi-purpose makers space, a games cupboard, craft supplies, and the playground and outdoor spaces. Together, each pair choose the activities they want to complete together. Through this regular quality time, teen mentors have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills while offering elementary-aged children the comfort and connection they need.

The most significant outcome of this project has been its ability to forge deeper connections between youth, their schools, and the broader community. With this expansion into Blackfalds, we can look forward to even more inspiring stories of growth and friendship. Congratulations to BBBSLD on the success of this program that cultivates future leaders and strengthens our community!