Many people living in towns along the Canadian Rockies have a way of identifying with each other even if they’re hundreds of kilometres apart. So, when the flames first blew into Jasper, Laurie Edwards began mobilizing her organization. For a while, Edwards, the executive director of Banff Canmore Foundation, discussed with her colleagues about the role the foundation would play if the wildfires raged in Jasper, 255 kilometres away.
But once the fire hit, “we knew that we needed to provide a way, a really beautiful way, for Bow Valley residents to show up in support of our mountain community,” said Edwards, whose organization provides grants to other charities that align with its priorities, such as housing, climate action, and cohabitation with wildlife. Describing the relationship Banff residents have with Jasper, she said, “I think in a lot of ways, people who live in one mountain community in the Canadian Rockies think of themselves as being mountain community people. “In some cases, businesses have staff and in communities in both Jasper and Banff; a lot of people have family in multiple communities.
. . There’s a shared identity, really, in terms of how you think about who you are in the world, and what your relationship is to place.
” The foundation began asking businesses in Canmore and Banff to . Soon, contributions began pouring in, and at the $100,000 mark, the Calgary Foundation matched the amount in addition to funding the expenses of administrating the donations. By mid-August, the organization collected more than $350,000.
“I don’t think I had any expectations, but in a lot of ways, I am not surprised,” Edwards said, referring to the philanthropic spirit of Albertans. The organization is currently working with the municipal government in Jasper and another local non-profit in the community to find the best way to dole out the contributions. “We’re just making sure that these funds flow in the best possible way, and that 100 per cent of these funds are going to get into the hands of ,” Edwards added.
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