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On December the 7th, something special happened in Grande Prairie. It was a planned day for a modest toy drive to help the less fortunate in the city of Grande Prairie. As a former Grande Prairie-ite, this city holds a special place in my heart. My wife and I raised 3 kids here, and still have solid roots within the community. 80-90% of my business is carried out within the city of Grande Prairie and surrounding areas.
As a business owner for almost 20 years, I wanted to do something special in these uncertain times. As a team, we decided to reach out to the Salvation Army and see if we could do a food drive to help, or perhaps something else. The need was clear! The children of Grande Prairie needed toys. With parents being laid off, and work uncertain, it was evident that most kids in vulnerable areas would go without toys this year. The ASP team was on board from day 1.
Advanced Safety Paramedics teamed up with the Grande Prairie Salvation Army for our first annual Toy drive. We have participated in Cancervive events, Charity Golf Events, local charity events, and other fundraiser events since 2003, but this event was special.
I may not have enough words to express what the team felt, but I will try. Please appreciate, that this event was only one day. It was supported by Advanced Safety Paramedics, the local radio stations, and of course the Walmart store and Parking lot. Living in the area for over 15 years, I have had the privilege of meeting some of the kindest and most generous people I will ever meet. Even in these tumultuous times, when Albertans have seen unprecedented hardships, people give, and give freely.
During the time of 9am through 5pm, on that Saturday, the team was visited by over 850 people donating toys of all kinds. Our “Events” Ambulance and Operational support staff were on site to help with the overall delivery of the message about Children in need in the community. The staff were pleasantly surprised by the amount of generosity and the amount of people who took time to listen to the message about the need.
With the aid of Salvation Army staff, ASP was able to collect enough toys for all the children in need in Grande Prairie, all of them!
By the end of the day, the Ambulance was full and the staff at the Salvation Army were amazed and truly thankful.
To all of the people of Grande Prairie who donated toys, from a hot wheel’s car to large toys, from giving boys and girls, to grandparents, and of course to all mom’s, dad’s, workers and companies throughout the region, a very warm hearted thank you. Without you, and the community that IS Grande Prairie, events like this would not be successful at all. A personal thank you to my staff that attended this event, along with family members to ensure that this event was a successful one.
A personal thank you to my dedicated staff at this event, that helped with its success including: Jordan Hynes, Rob Chamberlain, Nick Beyer, Kamrynn Chamberlain and Jerwin Santos.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!
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