(Ashley Lavallee-Koenig/rdnewsNOW)

By rdnewsNOW staff

Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre

Naming ceremonies held within Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence

Jun 19, 2024 | 2:43 PM

A number of room naming ceremonies have been held within the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence.

Officials with the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre say multiple public room naming ceremonies have been held to recognize major donors in the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence capital campaign.

The named rooms include the Kiwanis Club of Red Deer Intake Room, the Rifco Employee Giving Boardroom, the Co-operators Remote Testimony Room, the Royal LePage Network Family Room, the Lacey Family Community Boardroom, The 360 Fitness Studio Gym, the Piper Creek Optimists Volunteer Area, the Servus Credit Union Family Room, the Gord Bamford Foundation Board Room, the Earls Red Deer Family Room, the Central Alberta Tile One Social Sphere, and the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation Dining Hall.

While these room names have been made public, officials note that other private naming ceremonies have occurred as well. Mark Jones, CEO of the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre, recently announced at the Grand Opening of the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence (SKCOE) that the public fundraising campaign had reached $12.56 Million.

Officials say the SKCOE public campaign total was raised almost entirely on public and private donations, including funds raised from naming rooms within the SKCOE itself.

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“The Volunteer Area is a good fit for the Piper Creek Optimist Club. We are a service club, and we volunteer our time. It’s important to have a space for the many people who volunteer their time here. I want to extend a huge thanks to Mark Jones, the team at the CACAC, and my fellow Piper Creek Optimist club members for this opportunity, and for all of the time, effort, and resources that went into this,” said Braden Corbett, Piper Creek Optimist Club.

“It’s important to Servus Credit Union that we partner with like-minded organizations, and the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence is a huge asset to this community and communities throughout the Province of Alberta. Because we believe wholeheartedly in the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence’s approach, we’ve been here from the beginning, sponsoring awareness, fundraising events, and now naming this Family Room where we know children and their families can go to heal from the traumas they have experienced,” added Rod Ryckman, Regional Manager, Business Banking, Servus Credit Union “

“We are so proud to be a part of this new space. Our mission is to help people live their best life through fitness and this will assist in that. Having it named in our honor ensures our mission expands to more folks and for users of the space to know that 360 Fitness has their back. The Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence is one of a kind and will, without a doubt, help so many people in our local area and around the world. The pure potential of the centre for positive change is unlike anything else out there and the effects will have a ripple far and wide,” noted Jack Wheeler, Founder & CEO of 360 Fitness.

“The significance of naming the space was to help the community know there was a boardroom at the CACAC that they could reserve for community meetings. I got involved with the campaign before it was a campaign. I sat at a table with several founding members of the team and said that this project made so much sense from a business perspective, and look how far they have come! I absolutely believe in this project campaign from the start to the finish and beyond,” shared Kathy Lacey

“We couldn’t support AHS’s Step Up Step Down program in the Centre of Excellence without our incredible donors. We are astounded every day by the generosity of our community and are proud to be able to assist our donors in supporting incredibly important causes like child and adolescent mental health programming,” stated Manon Therriault, CEO at Red Deer Regional Health Foundation

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to support the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre through my foundation. The dedication and hard work of this organization align with our mission to make a positive impact in the lives of children and families in this community. The naming of the boardroom is a testament to our ongoing commitment to provide a safe and supportive environment for those who need it most. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive,” Gord Bamford exclaimed.

“We believe the Sheldon Kennedy Center of Excellence & the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Center are a very important part of our community. It is an honor to be the only Real Estate Brokerage with a Family Room in the CACAC. We hope this room brings children & their families comfort & security in their most vulnerable time of need,” shared Norm Jensen, Owner/Manager Royal LePage Network Realty Corp.

“Our employees chose the CACAC as our corporate charity, twice! The Rifco charity committee works hard to put on special events and fundraisers throughout the year to support the CACAC. Naming the space allows them to have a lasting connection. A point of pride to look to, for a cause we all hold special,” said Roger Saran, President and COO, Rifco National Auto Finance.

“For the past 74 years Kiwanians have a storied history of making Red Deer a better place to live. The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre is dear to our hearts. Like CACAC we view child abuse as a community-owned issue that deserves everyone’s attention, advocacy, and action. The Kiwanis motto is ‘Serving the Children of the World’ and we are proud to have the intake room named after our club,” stated the Kiwanis Club of Red Deer.

“The Earls Red Deer team got involved after meeting Sheldon Kennedy. We were so impressed with the work he had done in Calgary, and we were so moved by what he had written in his book. How could you not get involved? For us, working with the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre and supporting this goal was the right thing to do. Terry Loewen and Mark Jones and their team have done an unbelievable job. From 5000 square feet to this Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence – look at it now!” exclaimed Bill Olafson.

“Central Alberta Tile One has always believed that community has been the key to our success; seeing the way the community came together in the fundraising & building of the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence has been a testament to Red Deer’s determination and compassion. We are honored to have our name on the Social Sphere, a place where the community within the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence can gather to collaborate, connect or take a moment of pause when needed. We whole-heartedly believe that Central Alberta will see positive changes as a result of the CACAC & the Centre of Excellence,” added Shannon Moench, Owner/Operator Central Alberta Tile One

“The scope of influence the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence has for Central Alberta as a whole, resonates closely with The Co-operators and its 35 locations across Central Alberta. At the Co-operators, we believe the world is a better place when we take care of the things that matter. We strive to work together to be stronger, safer, and more resilient. We are extremely proud to be part of the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence, and without a doubt our clients will smile too with what together we have accomplished. This was an enormous undertaking and to see it all come to fruition is absolutely magical,” said Sherri Ryckman, Co-operators AVP West Region/Senior Manager – Central AB District

The Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence recently held its Grand Opening on May 16, 2024. Officials say three of the organizations within the SKCOE are fully operational, and the remaining partners are set to begin operations before the end of the summer. The organizations currently operating are the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre, The Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre, and AHS’ Move Your Mood Studio.

To learn more about the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence, and to donate, visit https://www.centralalbertacac.ca/centre-of-excellence/.

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