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Red Deer loses a leading community builder and philanthropist

Published

4 years ago

2 minute read

From the 2019 Canada Winter Games Committee

The 2019 Canada Winter Games is saddened to hear of the passing of Gary W. Harris on February 15. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

⁣⁣⁣⁣Gary W. Harris had a long-standing history of giving back to his community through volunteer and philanthropic activities. In 2015, Gary made a significant donation to Red Deer College, which was essential for the development of the college’s newest athletic facility and the legacy facility of the 2019 Games- the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. In 2018, Gary made another significant donation in support of the development of the Gary W. Harris Celebration Plaza, another legacy of the 2019 Games.

 

From Red Deer College

We were sad to lose our dear friend, Gary W. Harris, on February 15. Over the past five years, our College, our city and the 2019 Canada Winter Games were recipients of his generosity, his support for athletics and his belief in community. For Gary, however, these gifts were just the tip of the iceberg, and his impact has been decades in the making.

Gary’s ties to our College ran deep. As a former student, he understood what it meant to leave this community to finish a degree, and he supported our quest for University status. Recently, he established a scholarship for Education students, to honour the legacy of his mother, a former teacher. As a King, he supported our student-athletes by attending games and alumni events. The Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre stands as a prominent reminder of his generosity, and his absence is felt across our College.

Throughout his career, Gary was a teacher, a lawyer, a businessman, and a philanthropist in the truest sense. We will continue to hold his wife Ruth, his family and his friends in our hearts as we mourn this loss and reflect on his legacy. We’re proud to have called him a true friend, and we’ll miss seeing him on our campus and in the stands.

 

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We’re Almost There! Building Campaign Announcement

Published on December 6, 2023

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First off, I want to take a moment to thank you for following along in our journey, and being part of the solution for those children who have been impacted by a form of child abuse. Whether you have volunteered, donated, or have simply followed us and shared our content online, you have contributed in some way to making the world better and brighter for our children and families. Nothing that we have accomplished here has been without the support of our community. 

We have come a long way since we first opened in Downtown Red Deer. When we moved from downtown to our previous space it was a big step up. We had room for new and existing staff, and we were able to create a more comfortable space. But as the need for services has grown, and as we take on cases that require more integration with our partners, we had to shift our focus to a new space. Rather than simply moving into a larger existing space, we needed to create a place where we could work with all of our partners in one building. We needed a centre that had space for more clinical therapies, more room for forensic interviews, and that allowed us to look ahead with research and academic integration to help bring up the next generation of teachers, nurses, therapists, and more. We needed to build the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence! 
Creating the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence has been no small task. From concept and design, right through to painting the walls and grouting the tiles, every step has been meticulously planned out with the children in mind. On top of all of that, we have been working with our partners on ensuring that the space meets their needs. I’m proud to say that we’ve accomplished just that. Now, for example, if a child is having a forensic interview, and their parent or guardian needs support as well, they can get what they need all in one building.
The children we see have already been through unimaginable things, often at the hands of people they’re meant to trust. Our job is not only to take a statement, and connect families to other resources, but also to make our young clients feel as comfortable as possible. No child wants to discuss their trauma if they’re scared, uncomfortable, nervous, or intimidated. The space we bring them into needs to help them feel at ease, and we believe that is exactly what we have accomplished at the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence.
This has been our journey and our mission. Back in February, we announced our building campaign with a goal of raising $12 Million dollars. I am proud to tell you today that we are only $1.2 Million away from our $12 Million dollar fundraising goal! We have just 10% left to go in this campaign. Every dollar on top of that goal that we raise will help us pay for this building even faster, which means we can focus more of resources towards our services and creating new awareness and educational resources.
So this is what I’m asking you today; Please help us get over the finish line. Any donation today, even $10, will go a long way to helping those impacted by a form of child abuse. There are other ways to support us as well, including sharing this with your friends and family, or following us on social media and engaging with us there. It has taken a community to get us here, and it will take a community to take this to the end.

Together we can build the future so that every child can have a bright one! 
Please Donate Today
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Community

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis condemns MAiD in Parliament as targeting nation’s most vulnerable

Published on December 3, 2023

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

‘I call upon with government to reverse its course and instead provide help and hope for Canadians suffering with mental health conditions’

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis condemned the Trudeau government’s treatment of Canada’s most vulnerable, revealing that 36 Canadians are euthanized every day.  

On November 28, Dr. Leslyn Lewis, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Haldimand-Norfolk, Ontario, addressed Parliament on the dangers of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), the euphemistic name for Canada’s euthanasia regime.

“The poor, homeless, the abused, veterans, seniors, youth, adults suffering with disabilities, those suffering with depressions, and mental health conditions,” Lewis said. “These are among the most vulnerable in our society that are falling through the cracks of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying regime.”  

“They are the ones who will be at risk when the MAiD laws in Canada are expanded in March 2024,” the pro-life MP added. “Last year, death by euthanasia increased by 30 percent from the year before. Every day in Canada, 36 people use MAiD to end their lives, which is the highest in the world.” 

“I call upon with government to reverse its course and instead provide help and hope for Canadians suffering with mental health conditions,” Lewis appealed.    

On March 9, 2024, MAiD is set to expand to include those suffering solely from mental illness. This is a result of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for so-called doctor-assisted death.  

The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect in March of this year. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians and others, the Liberals under Trudeau delayed the introduction of the full effect of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39.

The expansion comes despite warnings from top Canadian psychiatrists that the country is “not ready” for the coming expansion of euthanasia to those who are mentally ill, saying expanding the procedure is not something “society should be doing” as it could lead to deaths under a “false pretense.” 

“Unfortunately, there is no reprieve in sight as think Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) becomes a national horror and the ‘professionals’ sharpen up their needles,” Ireland told LifeSiteNews. 

“We have reached the point where we must all protect each other from MAiD,” she noted. 

Euthanasia deaths have gone through the roof in Canada since it became legal in 2016. 

According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by MAiD lethal injection, which is 4.1 percent of all deaths in the country for that year, and a 31.2 percent increase from 2021. 

The number of Canadians killed by lethal injection since 2016 now stands at 44,958.

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