The Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter held its 34th Annual General Meeting and a special night of recognizing volunteers.
Cindy Easton, executive director of the Mountain Rose Centre, says the evening, held at the Royal Canadian Legion in Rocky Mountain House was well attended by over 50 people, including dignitaries such as Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA, Jason Nixon.
During the AGM, awards were handed out in five categories.
- Volunteer of the Year – Kandis Stradecki
- Volunteer Team of the Year – Richard Gehrke & Kimberly Kim
- Corporate Sponsor of the Year – Shoppers Drug Mart
- Contributor of the Year – Sobeys Grocery Store
- Historic Contributor of the Year – Tidewater Midstream
Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Jason Nixon speaks at the Royal Canadian Legion in Rocky Mountain House, June 24, 2024. (Photo by Mountain Rose Centre/Rebecca Zezula)
As Volunteer of the Year, Easton says Kandis Stradecki has been tireless working with the organization’s Safe Ride Program. Among the organization’s key ongoing fundraisers, Easton says Stradecki has volunteered many hours over the past four years, usually on weekends, transporting people from weddings, holiday parties and other events.
As Volunteer Team of the Year, Easton says for the past 18 months, Richard Gehrke & Kimberly Kim have been donating all tip jar money to the Mountain Rose Centre from their musical performances at Cucina’s.
As Corporate Sponsor of the Year, Easton says Shoppers Drug Mart has supported the Mountain Rose Centre as part of its Growing Women’s Health Program for the last decade. Additionally, Easton says Shoppers Drug Mart has additionally supported the organization through its participation in the Canada Food Rescue Program, which forwards donations of toiletries, fruit, canned goods and more. In all, Easton says Shoppers Drug Mart has donated over 1,000 pounds of food to the shelter.
Shoppers Drug Mart recognized as Corporate Sponsor of The Year at the Mountain Rose Centre’s AGM, June 24, 2024. (Photo by Mountain Rose Centre/Rebecca Zezula)
As Contributor of the Year, Easton says Sobeys has been a partner not only with its annual holiday fundraiser benefitting the shelter which provides thousands of dollars of gift cards, but also with its twice-weekly donation of day-old baked goods.
Finally, As Historic Contributor of the Year, Easton says Tidewater Midstream was a long time supporter of the discontinued ‘Walk A Mile In Her Shoes’, but currently supports the Mountain Rose Centre during its Tidewater Golf Tournament for three years running, and have been sponsoring families every Christmas as part of the Centre’s Adopt A Family Program for over eight years.
Easton says the Mountain Rose Centre operates a 28-bed emergency shelter, a five-apartment second-stage accommodation, a housing support program, outreach services, and women’s support groups.
Additionally, the Mountain Rose Centre has joined ‘The Voices’ project in which women tell their stories of not only surviving gender-based violence, but thriving afterward. Easton says the speakers have received public speaking training and have been using their voices and telling their stories around the community.
Since March 15, 2024, Easton says the Centre has also been facilitating an Indigenous Wellness Support Project. With the new project, Easton says the Centre now has a full time Indigenous support worker and a part-time elder.
If community members don’t have capacity to volunteer, Easton says they can donate cash, food, clothing, kitchen wares, as well as assisting with special fundraisers such as the Mountain Rose Centre’s upcoming food drive on September 21.
For more information or to volunteer, call the Mountain Rose Centre at 403-845-5339.
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