Memorandum of Understanding the first step to supporting children and families in the region

Red Deer, February 8, 2018 – Leaders from Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (CACAC)
and Red Deer College (RDC) gathered today to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, committing the two organizations to exploring opportunities for how they could best work together to serve children and families in central Alberta.

The Memorandum of Understanding continues the discussions already undertaken between CACAC and RDC. The organizations will continue to research and explore the possibility of two main goals: 1) building a comprehensive child advocacy centre on RDC’s main campus, and 2) working together to explore the development of training, professional development, credit and non-credit education programs and research opportunities related to child advocacy services and education.

For CACAC, which has been collaborating with its partners since first opening its doors on November 29, 2017, discussions with RDC represent another potential partnership opportunity.

“The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre has a model of integrative, trauma-informed practice, carried out by our key partners and trained professionals. This model will be the centre of change in how our community deals with child abuse,” says Mark Jones, CEO, Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre. “Our goal is to become a centre of excellence offering opportunities for advanced education students to be able to learn and develop skills that will help them moving forward in their education and professional careers. Potential collaborations with Red Deer College will provide a promising future in education and demonstrate the role students play in making our society a better place.”

The impact of the work of a child advocacy centre is demonstrated at the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre, located on the University of Calgary campus. Kennedy is supportive of creating a centre in the central Alberta region.

“I see firsthand the need for support, counselling and guidance a Child Advocacy Centre can offer to children, youths and families impacted by child abuse in a community,” says Kennedy, Lead Director of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre. “I believe the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre will, over time, set a new standard for responding to child abuse. This Memorandum of Understanding with Red Deer College will be the initial step in paving the way to becoming a Centre of excellence.”

“From the preliminary discussions between CACAC and RDC, it’s clear there are many areas of shared values and priorities between our two organizations, and we look forward to exploring the opportunities that could come out of these,” says Joel Ward, RDC President &CEO. “Through our potential collaborations, we could support children and families in the region, and we could also provide new opportunities for our students to learn in this important field of child advocacy. While there are still many steps we have to take to plan for and achieve these ultimate goals, we’re excited to work with CACAC to determine what the future could hold.”

About Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre: The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre is a not for profit organization that works in an integrative partnership with the Central Region Child Services, Alberta Health Services, Alberta Justice, Alberta Education and the RCMP to better service children, youth and families impacted by sexual abuse and the most serious/complex cases of physical abuse and neglect. Working collaboratively in a culturally relevant and trauma-informed system, we achieve greater results than any partner could on their own. It blends investigation, treatment, prevention, education and research with expertise to provide an integrated practice approach wrapping around children and always working in the best interests of the child.

About RDC: For over 50 years RDC has been proudly serving our learners and our communities. RDC offers more than 100 different programs (including full degrees, certificates, diplomas and skilled trades programs) to 7,500 full- and part-time credit students and more than 36,000 youth and adult learners in the School of Continuing Education each year. Named by Alberta Venture magazine as one of Alberta’s most innovative organizations for the Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing, RDC is a key location for applied and industry-led research. Our main campus is strategically situated on 290 acres of Alberta’s natural landscape along Queen Elizabeth II Highway. We have also expanded our learning and performing arts space into the heart of downtown Red Deer through our Welikoklad Event Centre and the Donald School of Business.

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Shelly Flint Appointed as New CEO of Westerner Park

Published on September 23, 2023

Westerner Park

Westerner Park, a distinguished agricultural society and premier exhibition venue in the heart of Central Alberta, is pleased to announce Shelly Flint as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This decision culminates a thorough and extensive search process, with the Board of Directors expressing their enthusiasm for the promising journey ahead under Shelly’s leadership.

Tyler Nightingale, President of the Board of Directors, shared his excitement about the appointment, stating, “After a comprehensive search, we are thrilled to welcome Shelly. Her extensive experience, skill set, and knowledge align seamlessly with the strategic direction of Westerner Park, ensuring a positive and enduring impact on both the organization and the community at large.”

Tara Lodewyk, Red Deer City Manager, added, “Shelly immediately connected with the mission of Westerner Park and the value it brings to the culture of our city and region. We are looking forward to working together and are confident in her leadership of Westerner Park.”

For the past two decades, Shelly has served as a senior executive, spearheading diverse teams within Alberta’s dynamic entertainment and finance sectors. Her tenure as the former CFO at the Calgary Stampede equips her with a distinctive insight into the intricacies of Westerner Park, enabling her to adeptly navigate its challenges and leverage its opportunities. Coupled with her roots in Central Alberta, Shelly is poised to steer the Park towards growth and long-term sustainability.

Shelly expressed her eagerness to join Westerner Park, saying, “I was thrilled at the opportunity to return to Central Alberta, where I grew up! Leading this purpose-driven organization will allow me to contribute to my community and affect meaningful change.”

Shelly Flint’s robust leadership, commitment to community, and extensive experience makes her an exceptional choice to lead Westerner Park into the future. The entire Westerner Park team eagerly anticipates the positive impact she will bring to this renowned institution.

About Westerner Park

Westerner Park is Central Alberta’s largest tradeshow, agricultural, sports, entertainment, and convention facility. A not-for-profit organization and agricultural society, Westerner Park typically generates $150 million annually in economic activity, hosting over 1,500 events and 1.5 million visitors each year.

Community

The Food Bank Wins

Published on September 16, 2023

Todayville

News release from 100 Women Who Care

The room was buzzing with energy and connection on Monday night – what a great way to kick off the fall with a full-house!

Thanks to everyone who joined us, with a special thank you to the 14 new members and their friends who encouraged them to join. There were also a few ladies simply checking out the vibe and we hope to see them again.

We had three excellent, engaging presentations from:

Judy-Ann Wybenga – Red Deer Food Bank Society

Jean Stinson – Red Deer Action Group Society

Lisa Smith – Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre

Congratulations to Judy-Ann! Our donations are going to the Red Deer Food Bank Society for their Community Kitchen initiative. We sure hope we get two big cans on the donor board. (Inside joke, ya had to be there! )

There are two ways to make your donations to the Red Deer Food Bank through the Red Deer and District Community Foundation:

Mail a cheque to the Red Deer & District Community Foundation at 4901 48 St #503, Red Deer, AB T4N 6M4. Please write “100+ Women RD” along with “Red Deer Food Bank” in the memo line.

Use this link or QR code to donate – just be sure to note Red Deer Food Bank on the online form. If you can, please consider adding $4 to your online donation to cover the Foundation’s processing fees. Simply click on the link to do so – no need to add it to your donation.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/67021

The Red Deer and District Community Foundation manages our donations and ensures that they arrive all present and accounted for to the recipient charities. Erin Peden, Executive Director of the RDDCF (and 100+ Women member) gave us an enlightening date on the amazing work happening at the Foundation. It sure had both of us thinking about ways we can support it more.

Thank you Jody Wianko for the update from CMHA. Our donation helped more that 340 people since April.

Kim Mortimer, The SnapHappy Photographer, was everywhere in the room getting great action shots. The sample above from April’s meeting shows what a fun, yet serious, group we are. It’s so great having you at the meetings, Kim. And for bringing friends!

There is so much happening in Central Alberta! Here are a few of the community announcements:

We asked and these gals delivered! Jillian donated a beautiful autumn arrangement and two tickets to the Mustard Seed’s Bowls for Bellies event. Shelley donated a $100 gift certificate from her family business, Twisted Steel Blacksmithing. Annamarie donated a gorgeous fresh bouquet on behalf of Hucal and Edwards Orthodontics.

We asked and you delivered! The Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter and Safe Harbour Society are very grateful for the generous donations of toiletries and personal care items.

It was great to see so many people arrive early to socialize and a number that stuck around after the meeting to keep the evening’s energy going. Thank you to Mary Warrener, Samantha Sheridan and Gail Bellanger for all their help at the registration desk, collecting and counting ballots, and generally keeping us organized. Thanks also to everyone who assisted with the post-meeting clean up. We hardly had to lift a finger and it gave us a chance to visit a few of you.

And lastly – aargh – EMAIL ISSUES! We have heard from many of you that you’re not getting our emails, so we took some time before sending this out to restructure our email list. Fingers crossed that it worked! Please respond to the read request. This will help us gauge who is and who isn’t getting the emails. Please compare notes with your 100+ Women friends, too, by asking if they received this email and letting us know if there are still gaps. Our apologies to everyone who hasn’t been in the loop and we that this is rectified “toot sweet” .