Building a Better Community Initiative Progress Report | 2021

Navigating adversity through acts of service.

Another year gone, another 12 months of living in and being of service to this incredible city. It’s been tough for everyone, there’s no denying that, but through all of the chaos and challenges these past 24 months have brought to our door, the kindhearted nature of Calgarians has pulled us through. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – when we unite in the name of the common good, of selfless service, of giving without the expectation of return, magic is inevitable. We are beyond proud to have been lucky enough to partake in more community-minded initiatives this year and keep the momentum of our Building a Better Community Initiative running strong.

With our 2022 Community calendar filling up fast, we would like to share some of the updates of our 2021 year in review.

• 2021 Community Drive

  • Our 2021 Community Drive focused on providing support to the Calgary Drop-In Centre with a Food, Clothing, and Essential Hygiene Item Drive for the month of December. As always, our friends and partners didn’t fail to exceed our expectations with their generosity and giving spirit. In 20 or so short days we managed to compile a TON of food, clothing, and hygiene items (among a huge variety of other assorted items like toys and camping gear) for those in need this Christmas Season and donated them to a very appreciative Drop-In Donation Centre here in NE Calgary.

• Parkdale Community Association BBQ

  • Partnering with the Parkdale Community Association for a project to upgrade their Community Rink Support Building, we were fortunate enough to receive a call asking for support when their food trucks cancelled last minute for their annual BBQ. This gave us the opportunity to come to the rescue with our Westcor BBQ (Bertha), tents, trucks, and event crew. What initially started as a successful project and the invitation to provide a donation in support of their community quickly became an all-hands-on-deck flurry of doing a Costco run, setting up tents, Covid wash stations, socially-distanced eating areas, and enough energy to pull off feeding over 200 Parkdale community members and friends! 250+ burgers, 50+ hot dogs, and plant-based options hit the grill in record time thanks to our very own Chris Maddex and his volunteer team. The Grand Opening of the new Rink Support Building is slated for January 29th.

• Christmas Cards for Seniors

  • Last year we began a tradition of writing personalized Christmas cards for folks living in Assisted Living and Long Term Care facilities. The feedback we received from our staff about how fulfilling the experience was, combined with the testimonials from the facility residents and staff, cemented our resolve to ensure we continued this act of connection this Christmas season. 150 Christmas cards were hand-written, coloured and decorated (thanks to the Westcor Family’s combined 68 children!) and delivered to the Bow View Manor in time for Christmas this year. We encourage all of you to take this on next Christmas with your family, or just as an evening in with yourself. To say that the experience is rewarding would be an understatement.

This year was another reminder of how important selfless giving is. The smallest acts of kindness go such a long way, and are exponentially significant in more ways than we can imagine. The true spirit of Christmas, of Santa Claus himself, is the spirit of giving without the expectation of return. It’s a beautiful concept, and the results speak for themselves. As hectic and overwhelming as the modern holiday season can be, spreading even a little of that Christmas spirit helps fuel the fire of the giving season.

Thank you for your continued support in Building a Better Community for our city and those in need, especially during these unprecedented times.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Westcor Family.