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By rdnewsNOW staff

Generous Contributions

Safety City receives major donations

Jan 22, 2021 | 11:25 AM

A local non-profit organization that has taught central Alberta children all about road safety over the past 20 years has seen significant community support in recent weeks.

Officials with Safety City say major donations have come in from partner organizations that have been and long-time supporters of Safety City, despite a struggling economy and the impacts from COVID-19.

On Jan. 15, key members from Red Deer Twilight Homes Foundation and the Kiwanis Club of Red Deer presented Amy Gardner, Safety City’s executive director, and Board President, Kristina Sveinson of the Red Deer Safety City Society, with donations totaling $25,000.

The funding boost follows a request for help from Gardner as the organization faced an uncertain future due to the circumstances created by the pandemic.

Knowing the importance of the work done at Safety City, both the Kiwanis Club of Red Deer – founding member of the Red Deer Safety City Society, and the Red Deer Twilight Homes Foundation got together to make the large donations in order to preserve the organization.

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Each year Safety City programs touch the lives of around 3,800 children. Staff, parent volunteers and teachers from numerous school divisions each spring and fall help run fun, safety-oriented courses. In addition, Safety City operates summer camps in July and August.

Safety City relies heavily on donations as well as revenue generated through the running of their safety programs. As a result of the pandemic, considerable revenue was lost from field trips being cancelled during spring and fall.

New safety guidelines restricting the number of children and families that could participate in summer camps caused the organization to take another financial hit.

Safety City Executive Director Amy Gardner says the money will enable their organization to continue offering their summer camps, field trips and birthday parties, when government rules permit.

“These generous donations have allowed the Red Deer Safety City Society to remain a constant in our great city,” says Gardner.