Community
Got Some Extra Coats in Your Closet?

This Saturday, October 19, from 10 – 4 PM, the Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre (CACPC) will be on Taylor Drive (north of 32 Street and south of 43 Street) for their 5th Annual Charity Checkstop collecting coats for kids and cash for crime prevention, in partnership with Coats 4 Kids and the City of Red Deer Traffic Safety.
It’s getting cold again and when you are pulling out your warm weather gear, you might find some coats or winter items that no longer fit you, or members of your family, or that you are no longer wearing. When clothing is donated to Coats 4 Kids, it is cleaned by sponsoring dry cleaners and goes to the Victory Church of Red Deer. The clothing is then distributed to individuals or families in need. Kids grow out of their clothes pretty quickly and if you can’t afford winter clothing, Coats 4 Kids can help!
“Raising money for crime prevention is important as well”, says CACPC Executive Director, TerryLee Ropchan. “The money comes back into a local organization and goes into all kinds of programs and work we do,” she said. “We want to work with residents and businesses around whatever emerging issues are happening in their area and make sure they have the resources they need to make their community safer.” For more about the work that CACPC does in your community, you can visit their website.
Drivers are encouraged to pull into the dedicated charity checkstop lanes on Taylor Drive to donate gently used winter clothing for kids or adults, or cash for crime prevention. Central Albertans can make donations to keep children warm and neighbourhoods safe from the comfort of their own car!
And, if you are in need of winter clothing, you can PICK UP a coat or two at the VCRD Clothing Zone from October 1 – 21 ….Wed, Thurs, or Friday from 1 – 4 PM.
Visit cacpc.ca for more information.
Community
Red Deer family rocked by cancer diagnosis seeks support from the community

From the Facebook page of Nicole Maurier
From GoFundMe
Business
Business leaders decide it’s time to reduce the number of homeless in Red Deer

News release from the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce
Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce to form Task Force on Homelessness in Red Deer
The Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be convening a Task Force of community and business leaders to address the issues of homelessness and identify actionable steps which can be taken to tackle this generational challenge in Red Deer.
“With the release of the City of Red Deer’s Point in Time (PIT) Report on homelessness last week we are very concerned and disappointed with the effectiveness of the strategies currently in place, and the urgency by which we need to turn this situation around within our city,” commented Scott Robinson CEO of the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce. “Clearly our current strategies are not enough, and we need to elevate the urgency by which we get things done to reduce the number of citizens who are without a place to live. The growing number of people who are homeless is not sustainable and is impacting on our sense of pride, safety and attractiveness of our city to business and industry.”
“We will share more about this Task Force and the next steps in the coming weeks. Time has run out to act with conviction, courage, and clarity. Our community and citizens deserve that from our community leaders, and we are ready to bring the business community and the urgency required to the table.”
Over the next 60 days, the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be reaching out to its business and social agency partners to build the Task Force on homelessness and establish a strategy to address the critical steps that need to be taken to reverse the trends and further our community’s vision as a vibrant and healthy city.
Matt Cassidy, Chamber Board President. remarked “Our Chamber is positioned to be the collaborative leader in connecting our business community, social agencies, and elected officials together, to find tangible progress on this complex issue. All businesses rely on the vibrancy of our community as they strive to be sustainable, innovative, or grow, and the results of the PIT Report indicate that we need to do much more. This task force will help hold our leaders accountable for the actionable progress needed and engage one another effectively.”
“In speaking with our membership, and those working closely with the vulnerable populations there are best practices and models for delivery that are successful in other parts of the world that we need to start implementing” says Robinson. In addition, we need to look at ways that our private sector can get more involved and bring their expertise and strategic thinking to the table. As a collaborative community we also need to ensure that governments at all levels are delivering on their promises of affordable housing and eliminating barriers to expediting these investments.
Established in 1894 the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan, collaborative business leader representing over 825 member businesses. As one of Red Deer’s oldest and most established membership organizations we are striving to build a vibrant community that fosters an environment where businesses can lead, be innovative, sustainable, and grow.
-
Bruce Dowbiggin1 day ago
Hockey Tolerance Is A Two-Way Street, Not A One-Way Road
-
Business1 day ago
Unprecedented construction needed in B.C. to offset record immigration: Report
-
Justice2 days ago
Provincial police officer killed during attempted arrest northeast of Montreal
-
Business1 day ago
Bankman-Fried charged with paying $40M bribe to China
-
Crime1 day ago
What we know about the Covenant school shooting in Nashville
-
Business1 day ago
Federal budget 2023 includes $59.5 billion in new spending, looks to increase revenue
-
Alberta1 day ago
‘A miracle’: Advocate says help being planned for victims of Calgary house explosion
-
Business1 day ago
Budget 2023: Liberals add foreign interference office, new money-laundering rules