Community
Meet the Dancers: COLLEEN MANNING
Meet Colleen Manning who is dancing with professional partner Bryan Senn. Photos by Rob Ironside.
Get to know Colleen: When asked to dance for the Sheraton Celebrity Dance Off 2017, my heart immediately became involved. The staggering statistics of child/youth abuse and the lasting damage it can have deeply touched me for two reasons. Firstly and simply, because I’m a Mom! To hear how child abuse and neglect changes the spirit of child is heartbreaking. Secondly, as the owner of Studio Pilates, I am passionate about mental health and the relationship between mental health and physical movement. My life is dedicated to getting people to move their body for the fitness benefits but also for the brain chemistry magic that happens with physical activity. Children and youth who are victims of abuse need physical, mental and emotional help. CACAC and CASASC along with our many amazing community agencies will help children heal from abuse and become healthy adults.
I am honoured and motivated to fund raise and bring awareness to the critical issues surrounding the well-being of our children.
The Sheraton Celebrity Dance Off (SCDO) is a product of a community that cares deeply enough to step up every year and raise money for worthy causes in our city. The event brings together the professional dance community, business and community leaders and many talented volunteers to stage an amazing, sold out event, build awareness for the groups their supporting, and raise funds that are put to work making a real difference.
The Celebrity Dancers who volunteer their time, energy and fund raising skills are truly special people. In this series, we’ll get to know each of the them. Please go online and support their fundraising efforts.
This year all proceeds will go to benefit the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre and the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre. It’s about Red Deer coming together to Share the Magic!
Click here to Make a Donation to Colleen Manning.
You can also support the team by purchasing a ticket for two excellent raffles – a luxury holiday on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and an Exclusive Luxury Golf Experience at Sherwood Country Club, California.
You can find all of the information RIGHT HERE.
Community
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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.
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