On June 9th, 2015 the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF), in collaboration with This is My City Art Society (TMC), will unveil Calgary’s largest yarn bombing as a kickoff to celebrate the beginning of its newest affordable housing build, and we need your help!

CHF has purchased a home that has been slated for demolition; in its place, a brand new, fully accessible apartment building will be built and become home for 25 Calgarians exiting homelessness. In partnership with TMC, the existing house will be transformed into a work of art before being torn down. This work of art will be Calgary’s largest yarn bombing and the entire structure will be wrapped with hand knitting and crocheted pieces, symbolic of the comfort of home. This is where you come in! We are collecting any used or unwanted hand knit/crocheted clothing or blankets to use towards wrapping the house. Every little bit helps. Items donated will be re-purposed and used towards future endeavours at CHF.

Construction of Aurora on the Park was made possible through funding from the Government of Alberta, and local Calgary Home Builder, StreetSide Developments: A Qualico Company, as part of the RESOLVE Campaign.

We will be collecting donations at the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Farmers’ Market on Wednesday May 20th from 3pm-7pm, or donations may be dropped off at the Calgary Homeless Foundation until May 19.

In April of 2014, the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF), invited This is My City Art Society (TMC), to help create a launch event for the kick-off to the building of Stepping Stone Manor in the Beltline. The event brought community together and included giant photos of members of the community being affixed to the house prior to its demolition.

Stepping Stone Manor is one of 8 25 – 30 suite apartment buildings for formerly homeless Calgarians that the CHF is building over the next few years. It is made possible through funding from the Government of Alberta and Cedarglen Living as part of the RESOLVE Campaign, a unique collaboration of nine Partner agencies raising $120 million to build affordable and supported rental housing for 3,000 vulnerable and homeless Calgarians.

As part of this year’s This is My City Festival, CHF and TMC invite you to join them at the exhibit of Possibilities in the Wind: An Artful Partnership. This exhibit showcases the transformation of the rundown rooming house that was on the property into a vibrant work of art – its last hurrah before demolition to make way for Stepping Stone Manor. Many community members worked together – and we celebrate them and their work! Come and learn more Possibilities in the Wind: An Artful Partnership and about the work being done to end homelessness through our collective impact.

EXHIBIT:   Saturday, April 11th   to   Saturday, April 25th 

Opening reception April 11th from 2:30pm to 5:00pm  Open to everyone

Formal presentation at 3pm.


U-HALL Gallery at TRUCK
2009 10 Ave SW

 

Learn more about the This is My City Festival

Written by Darcy Mammel

*Photo credit: Cat Schick

It’s a beautiful 19 degrees in Calgary and I’m on site at Calgary’s largest yarn-bombing initiative that will celebrate two new apartment buildings being built through the RESOLVE Campaign and Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness. I’ve stopped here on my way to the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market, where I’ll get the experience of being a vendor for the day, sharing information about the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s (CHF) newest undertaking through the RESOLVE Campaign, a unique collaboration of nine Partner agencies raising $120 million to build affordable and supported rental housing for 3,000 vulnerable and homeless Calgarians.

The yarnbombing is well underway, and as I meet up with Linda Hawke, President of the Board of This is My City Art Society (TMC), she tells me that the weather couldn’t be better. I can see flashes of colour all over the house; a rainbow of yarn has begun making its way around the four walls of the old home. A property in the Hillhurst Sunnyside community that will soon become Aurora on the Park -a 25 unit accessible, affordable housing apartment building for Calgarians exiting homelessness. But for right now, the current building on the property is TMC’s newest canvas.

Contracted by CHF to turn the existing building into a work of art for the project’s introduction into the community, Linda and her team are spending the next two weeks wrapping the house in yarn and other textiles.  When I asked her what this project means to her, she tells me, “The yarn bombing is a great example of what This is My City is all about: art bringing people together…People see the colourful afghans going up on the house and they stop in and ask about what’s going on. Art brings them in. Artists and volunteers from all walks of life are working together to make the house look amazing, each bringing their own ideas and expressions; each getting something out of it personally.”

Yarn donations have been collected from all over different communities and will become part of the artwork that graces the old home.  On June 9th, CHF will officially introduce Aurora on the Park to the community at a kick-off event open to the public. Aurora on the Park was made possible through funding from the Government of Alberta and StreetSide Developments: A Qualico Company who are one of 11 homebuilders working with CHF through the RESOLVE Campaign to end homelessness in Calgary. Along with the Government of Alberta, the home builders have committed funding to build 8 affordable housing apartment buildings throughout Calgary over the next 3 years.

Leaving Linda and her team to exercise their creative muscles, I set up camp at the Sunnyside Hillhurst community centre’s Farmers’ Market. The farmers’ market is outdoor for the first time this season, complete with a band and food trucks. The sun is shining and people are out in full force, reveling in the vendors and music. I spent the next four hours with the community’s residents, introducing the CHF’s newest project. News of the Aurora on the Park was received with a welcoming chorus of encouragement and then, as I explain TMC’s work, fascination with the art of yarn bombing.

When one little boy asks me why I’m not selling anything I explain that I’m just here to share with people what we do. When he asks me why, I explain that I work for an organization that helps people who don’t have homes, find them. He pauses for a moment and frowns. Sneaking a glance up at his mother, he offers his bedroom up as a place for someone to stay so that they can have a home too. The mother stifles a laugh as I grin. Before his mother leads him away he asks me to make sure we find homes for people so that they don’t have to be sad. Out of the mouth of babes…

When the market wound to a close I couldn’t help but think about what Linda said about the power of art. “Everybody comes together through art and at the centre of it all, people interact with each other to create, enjoy, share…and in the process they feel a little more connected to this big community we all share.”

Aurora on the Park will be unveiled on June 9th at 3 p.m.

Contact Aaron G. for more information – 403-237.6456

Today marks one year at the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) for CEO Diana Krecsy. Diana joined the Calgary Homeless Foundation as President and CEO in May 2014. Prior to working at CHF, she was the CEO of the Calgary Drug Treatment Court Society (CDTCS) from 2011-2013 and was instrumental in making sustainable changes that benefited vulnerable Calgarians. From 2005 to 2011 she was the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT and Nunavut. Before her years of leadership experience, Diana was a tenured nurse educator at Mount Royal University for 12 years and has practiced nursing in Alberta for over 14 years.

Here’s what Diana had to say about her past year with the Calgary Homeless Foundation:

Q: Tell us about this past year. What has it been like for you? What are you excited about?

It’s been a motivating year. I’ve learned a lot. It’s been so inspiring to see this caliber of people, working in this sector. I’ve visited multiple agencies and there is a tremendous amount of caring and competency in this city. Calgarians should be proud.

Q: What inspired you to join the Calgary Homeless Foundation?

I wanted to make an impact at a systems level. I wanted to help systems change. As a practicing nurse for 30 years I worked in the system. Eventually, I realized that to make the kind of impact that is going to be sustainable across generations, I had to work at a systems level and so I left my tenured position to pursue that. It’s led me here. I came here because it’s a huge organization with a big job. Everything we do is about these people whose lives can be better. My passion is in helping Calgarians see those experiencing homelessness for what they truly are. Real people. People whose quality of life will improve through our collective vision of ending homelessness.

Q: What were you focusing on this past year and what are you focusing on for this coming one?

The focus this past year has been on ensuring we were adding the highest degree of value to the community. It is critical that we value and support  the frontline agencies we partner and work so closely with, to ensure all of us are pushing the needle together to truly serve our clients to the best of our ability, and that meant making some changes. I knew CHF administrative processes had to shift to make it easier for agencies to spend their time focusing on the frontline, with clients. I’m incredibly proud of the frontline agencies. There are amazing frontline staff and agencies in Calgary who have a tremendous amount of talent and competence.

Calgarians were another focus over the past year and will continue to be in the future. Community is the key to truly affecting change and getting the job done.  The idea that we’re going to end homelessness doesn’t belong to one agency. It belongs to every Calgarian…there should be no bystanders in this…ending homelessness is about all of us. Ending homelessness improves the lives of individuals and families experiencing homelessness as well as every community.

Q: The Calgary Homeless Foundation works closely with the RESOLVE campaign as one of its 9 partners. Can you tell us what this partnership has looked like over the past year?

This partnership has been inspiring and has proved that collaboration is the key. The incredible thing about RESOLVE is that it is a unique partnership of agencies that are focused on achieving a goal together. We have done more work together with RESOLVE this year to serve our city’s most vulnerable, including the upcoming launch in June of two new affordable apartment buildings. We’re excited to see what we can create together to reach the goals of Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness.

Q: What has the impact been on you, working this past year at the Calgary Homeless Foundation?

I’ve realized how truly fortunate I am to have been born into a family that gave me security and love. It’s not like that for everyone. Why do some people get lucky when others are born into uncertainty?  I don’t know. But what I do know is that it gives me a responsibility to be there for those who weren’t so fortunate.

Q: What are you most proud of over the past year?

There are so many things I’m proud of, in particular, the people who are so committed in this sector that they invest heart and soul into a shared vision of ending homelessness. They teach me every day the meaning of commitment, compassion and collective leadership. I’m also really proud of the work done to launch Calgary’s Updated Plan and how over 450 people came together to share and learn and grow and deepen our collective impact.

Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned that continually impacts you every day?

Working with so many dedicated and visionary people has taught me the value of teamwork and the power we have when we collectively work towards a goal of ending homelessness.  Their passion and talent ignites my desire to keep pushing towards our goal and to keep building lasting and sustainable social change.

It was a day of hope  and possibility and new paths and new directions.

It was a day to celebrate and open new doors to bright new futures.

Ready to go!

Ready to go!

The kick-off for Aurora on the Park and Providence House, two new affordable housing projects that will become home for 49 formerly homeless Calgarians went without a hitch.

The dignitaries arrived, the guests crowded around the stage and the media stood by and listened and learned and felt drawn into the possibilities and hope of a better future for all people who will call Aurora on the Park and Providence House home. 

And through it all, the sun shone, the birds sang and people felt optimistic and engaged in what we can do and are doing as a collective to end homelessness.

Alan Norris, President and CEO of Brookfield Residential and Chairman of the Board of the Calgary Homeless Foundation and the RESOLVE Campaign summed it up well when he said that the 11 homebuilders who were there representing RESOLVE are competitive in their day jobs but very committed and collective in their desire to work together to make a difference in our city.

Getting to this moment, where all the pieces came together to create such an exciting and successful event takes a lot of hard work and a lot of people.

There was a lot to be grateful for at the Aurora on the Park and Providence House kick-off event.

Here are just a few of the things we are grateful for:

  • Grateful that, as a city, we have a shared vision of ending homelessness and are working collectively to make it happen
  • For Casey Eagle Speaker who opened the ceremonies with a reminder of our shared humanity and our right to have a place to call home
  • For people like Linda Olsen, Co-anchor of Global News Hour at 6  who volunteered her time to act as Emcee for the event
  •  For greetings read on behalf of the Honourable Michelle Remple, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre-North and MLA Calgary – Acadia, Brandy Payne for speaking strongly in support of ending homelessness and the need for affordable housing
  • For PC MLAs Sandra Jansen and Mike Ellis and Leader of the Liberal Party, MLA Dr. David Swann who  stood in support of ending homelessness and affordable housing
  • For Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi for speaking so clearly of excellence and vision and commitment and what it means to work collectively to create a great city for everyone
  • For Glynn Hendry, Regional Vice-President, Qualico who  on behalf of Streetside Developments: A Qualico Company spoke with such pride and passion about their role in helping to make Aurora on the Park possible 
  • For Rob Kennedy, Vice-President, Morrison Homes. Like Streetside and 9 other Calgary homebuilders, Morrison Homes donated $1.4mil to the RESOLVE Campaign to support building of 8 new affordable housing projects in Calgary to ensure we have the necessary homes to end homelessness
  • For all the homebuilders who came out to lend their voices and support to the RESOLVE Campaign and the kick-off events
  • For the communities of Hillhurst Sunnyside and Crescent Heights who were open to the possibilities these two projects represent and welcomed them into their communities with such grace
  • For all the people who came and listened and learned and supported the project and added their well-wishes for the future tenants of Aurora on the Park and Providence House 
  • For the artists of This is My City who created the masterpiece of the yarnbombed house that stood so colourfully and proudly at the centre of the celebration
  • For all the Calgarians who came out to celebrate and to support 
  • For Diana Krecsy, President & CEO of CHF for her passionate leadership of ending homelessness collectively
  • For all staff at CHF for turning up and being part of the event, for bringing their best to support what we are working to achieve together
  • For the RESOLVE team for contributing their best to help make it a great event
  • For the CHF Housing Team who worked so hard to ensure the property was well-tended and ready for the event, and who continue to work so hard every day to ensure CHF properties make great neighbours
  • For the CHF Communications and Fund Development teams for giving their hearts to creating a day that truly did touch hearts, open minds and set possibilities for a better future, for all of us
  • For a neighbour named Pedro who lives down the street who came back with his camera because he’s a documentary film maker and he wanted to record the events for us as a gift.
  • And for everyone who came and stood in the hot blazing sun and took a stand for building homes for those who have lost their way.

 

You make a difference!

 

Mayor Nenshi’s remarks at the kick-off event. (Thank you Pedro Parada)

By Rachel Campbell

In 2013, the Calgary Homeless Foundation received funding through the Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund to explore issues related to human rights within the homeless community. To investigate the  dynamic and multi-faceted issue of both homelessness and human rights, CHF initiated a 2-year participatory action research project to identify areas of concern within the homeless community related to issues of discrimination  and human rights – particularly related to service access – as well as assess the level of awareness and appropriateness of information related to issues of human rights, service access and appeal/grievance processes. Critical to the initiation of this work was engagement and collaboration with the Client Action Committee.

Many sectors were consulted as part of the project, including police services, bylaw services, health services, shelter providers, outreach teams, lawyers and law students, and Aboriginal service providers. Most importantly, the Client Action Committee (CAC), a group of clients with lived experience of homelessness facilitated by CHF for the last 3 years, was integral in providing client perspective on the project. A core group of 9 clients helped to organize focus groups and interviews of people experiencing homelessness to share their stories and bring to light what rights were most often being violated. Through this process, over 100 clients were consulted. Many of the items in the charter were included as a result of actual experiences of real people. It has been incredible to see the pride the members of the client committee rightfully have in the work they’ve done on this project. They are empowered to stand up for not only their own rights, but the rights of others experiencing homelessness.

An exciting part of the process of developing the charter was the creation of the documentary, “Do you see me?”. This powerful short film increases awareness of the discrimination faced by those experiencing homelessness – often in accessing services and tools that they need to end their homelessness. It poses the question to which the Charter is part one of the answer. Of particular note: the documentary received two Alberta Media Production Industries Association Rosie nominations. One for Best Director, Non-Fiction under 30 minutes, the other, Best Soundtrack for non-fiction under 30 minutes.

The charter pulls together existing rights that are a current part of legislation. It asserts that all citizens of our community – regardless of housing status – are equal in dignity, rights, and responsibility. The Charter is the first of its kind in Canada and is being unveiled in Calgary on June 18. It will be a starting point for discussion about rights and discrimination and how we can all work together to stand up for and promote the rights of those experiencing homelessness. Follow along and participate in the launch from afar using the hashtag #homelessrights.

The next phase of the project will include lots of work strengthening relationships with health, law enforcement, service providers, as well as the community at large – organizing training sessions to start working together to stand up against discrimination on a micro and macro level – both standing up for  community members when we personally witness discrimination and working to end discriminatory policies and practices – and empowering clients to know their rights and what to do if their rights have been violated.

Documentary on human rights and discrimination on the streets of Calgary. Video can be viewed below.

Cameron Bailey is the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s (CHF’s) new Chair of the Board and has served on the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s board since 2010. Cam and his wife Gelaine spent 15 years living overseas and have volunteered numerous times in rural communities in Africa. Some of their most memorable trips to Africa include time spent in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa. Cam has a B. Commerce degree from UBC and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is active with other boards including the Alberta Energy Regulator, the UBC Sauder Business School and Westside King’s Church where he serves as past Chair of the Board of Trustees. Cam also served on the board of the Telus Spark Calgary Science Center from 2010-2015.

Recently, Cam took some time out from his busy volunteer schedule to share his thoughts on ending homelessness, volunteering and his new role as Chair of CHF’s Board of Directors.

Q: What inspired you to begin serving on the CHF board in 2010?

A: When we moved back to Calgary in 2009 after being away from the city for 15 years living overseas, I wanted to re-engage in the community. I spent my first few months back in Calgary  talking to community leaders about what the big leverage points were, and what initiatives were underway that could potentially have the most impact on our city. I kept hearing about the Calgary Homeless Foundation and the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. It became pretty evident that this was one of Calgary’s big, bold, exciting, initiatives and, at the time, quite unique in Canada. I soon joined the board and got immersed in the mission to end homelessness.

Q: You’re retired now and this position is a big commitment. What drives you to volunteer like you do?

A: After several years on the board, I’m even more of a believer in the mission and in the opportunity we have through Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness. After serving for the last two years as Vice Chair, and learning a lot from Alan Norris, it seemed like a logical next step to move into the Chair role when Alan announced his intentions to step down and focus his efforts chairing the RESOLVE campaign. I knew that this was an important opportunity to continue to make a difference.

Q: What do you see as the role of the Chair of the Board?

A: The biggest part of the role is to work with the board to support Diana [Krecsy] as President & CEO, and, in turn, support the team at CHF to deliver on the objectives of the Plan. I believe it’s also the responsibility of the Chair, and of the board members more broadly, to keep the focus on delivering against the Plan, to make sure that we’re out in the community, talking to people, supporting this important initiative. We can’t forget that through the excellent work of all the agencies in Calgary’s homelessness serving sector, people’s lives are changed, one at a time. And the clock is ticking. We all feel the sense of urgency to get people off the street and into supportive housing, with the services they need to get back on their feet.

Q: What are your top three priorities as Chair?

A: Our first priority is to support Diana and the management team establish the new Community Council (CC). With the creation of the CC, CHF can refocus on what our original role was intended to be – to serve as the orchestrator of the mission to end homelessness and to be the backbone entity that tracks sector progress towards this goal across the overall system of care. Our second priority is to focus on encouraging more connectivity and collaboration within the homeless serving sector. Because homelessness is a large and complex problem to solve, as a community we will be much more impactful working as a collective whole, sharing resources and capabilities rather than working independently of each other, often without the scale necessary for significant impact, and in some cases even duplicating services and “competing” for clients, staff and funding. And our third priority is to bring us as a Board closer to understanding and appreciating the front line experience and successes that agencies are having in Calgary. Beginning in September, we’re looking at having our board meetings on-site at different agency locations. By being “on-site” we hope to be able to tour the facilities, hear directly from a staff or a client about the work they are doing and invite the agency CEO and board chair to tell us about their strategic direction.

Q: Where do you see CHF in a year to three years?

A: In these next three years, our biggest goal is just driving full steam ahead to achieve the goals of the Plan to End Homelessness. It’s an all hands on deck approach to deliver on the commitments of the Plan. The key to success will be through community ownership of the Plan, hence the priority on getting the Community Council established. Beyond that, as a board we have begun the process of thinking through the role of CHF post 2018. We don’t have those answers yet.

Q: What are some impressions that you’ve taken away from your time in Africa? Are there any parallels you’ve noticed from your volunteer work there to your work here in Calgary?

A: My wife and I have spent a lot of time in Africa, in remote places, getting exposure to people who are the most in need and the most at risk. We’ve had the chance to sit in classrooms in rural schools, and to see the joy on children’s faces as they describe what their dreams are. In many respects, you hear the same career aspirations that you would sitting in a Calgary elementary school classroom – the kids in rural African communities want to grow up to be engineers, doctors, teachers, scientists and nurses. But because of the birth lottery, the kids in Africa don’t have the clear pathways to these careers like our own children do here in Canada. Bright, ambitious young kids in these rural African communities may never have the chance to get through grade school, let alone attend a college or university. It’s wasted talent, and an incredible amount of untapped human potential. Progress in being made, but the pace is frustratingly slow. Again, in trying to solve a large and complex problem, scale is important. Large, well run organisations like World Vision do great work, and have significant impact, by working at the community level, empowering a whole village to move out of poverty and become self sustaining. Here in Calgary, in this city of immense wealth, we take pride in working together as community to look after our own, to ensure nobody is left behind. And, in parallel, as a community, we can extend a helping hand beyond our city borders to help those in need elsewhere, to make the world a better and safer place for those less fortunate. The Plan to End Homelessness is one important aspect of our broader obligations.

Taking care of Mother Nature is everyone’s responsibility; a task that can seem daunting in the midst of our busy lives. Respect for the Earth and All People (REAP) is an organization that is showing Calgarians just how simple taking care of our planet can be. A non-profit association for locally owned business that care about the community and the planet, REAP demonstrates that businesses can make a fair profit while contributing to healthy and prosperous communities. Its latest undertaking, the Community Orchards project, is a collaboration between REAP and Enactus Calgary.

It began in 2012 when The Naaco Truck asked REAP for assistance planting 50 trees in order to cut the carbon emissions of its mobile food business. REAP suggested that The Naaco Truck donate fruit bearing trees in certain areas of the city to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and food insecurity while beautifying public spaces.

In the spring of 2013, with the help of International Avenue Business Revitalization Zone and Greengate Garden Centres, four community orchards were planted in the greater Forest Lawn area in Calgary.

When REAP shared the story of The Naaco Truck’s donation with other businesses in the network, more local businesses wanted to help. Leela Eco Spa & Studio, Conscious Brands, Nya Sustainability Consulting, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Yummi Yogis added to the donations by The Naaco Truck and Greengate Garden Centres, tripling the size of the program in just two years!

With limited resources to manage complex site approvals and multiple stakeholders, REAP reached out to Enactus Calgary for help. This University of Calgary chapter of Enactus Worldwide – a community of 60,000 student, academic and business leaders enabling sustainable progress through entrepreneurial action – agreed to a 5-year partnership to bring the project to its full potential.

Now with environmental and social impact reporting, strategic community partnerships with the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) and Grow Calgary, and a student support team, REAP and Enactus Calgary are harnessing the generosity of local businesses to create lasting community assets.

Volunteers from REAP and Enactus Calgary will come together on Sunday, August 9th at two Calgary Homeless Foundation locations to plant the 75 orchard trees donated by REAP businesses. Acadia Community Garden and Art Society and Grow Calgary will also be receiving an additional 75 plants, to be planted the same day.

For more information about the Community Orchards or to find out how you can participate, contact Stephanie Jackman, Founder & President of REAP Business Association, at stephanie@reapcalgary.com.

 

 

 

On Sunday, August 9th, two Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) properties received 55 orchard trees. With the help of REAP and Enactus Calgary volunteers, nine local businesses, tenants and agencies, like CUPS and the Alex, Acadia Place and Abbeydale Place were successfully beautified and transformed into sustainable orchards, with the possibilities of fresh fruit in the summers to come.

Marina Mellino of the Calgary Homeless Foundation was there to plant trees with REAP Calgary and tenants. “I was so proud to participate, “she shares of her experience on Sunday, “there was lots of passion and care for community in this project and I can’t wait for next year’s planting!”

REAP, the non-profit organization responsible for Sunday’s planting, helps locally owned business that care about the community and the planet contribute to creating healthy and prosperous communities. With the help of the Naaco Truck, Leela Eco Spa & Studio, Conscious Brands, Nya Sustainability Consulting, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Yummi Yogis and Greengate Garden Centres as well as Enactus Calgary, orchard trees were purchased for planting at the Calgary Homeless Foundation sites.

Stephanie Jackman, Founder & President of the REAP Business Association is proud of the Community Orchards project and the generous donors who participated. “Thanks to the leadership of The Naaco Truck who brought us this opportunity, Community Orchards help REAP businesses to reduce their environmental impact by creating lasting assets for Calgary communities in need. We’re proud to have facilitated the donation of 200 trees for the creation of eight orchards since 2013.”

The impact of a day like this one are staggering. In addition to beautifying the communities, on average these two orchards will remove 8 tonnes of CO2 from the air, filter 102 litres of storm water and improve the quality of 20 kilograms of air each year. Tenants of each building will also receive a care and recipe book that will teach them about the trees planted and how to incorporate those goods into everyday cooking.

Thank you to REAP and Enactus Calgary as well as all the volunteers, business, tenants and agencies who made this year’s tree planting such a success. We’re already planning for next year and are excited about the possibilities!

For more information about the REAP Business Association and the Community Orchards project please visit http://www.belocal.org/.