(Community Foundation of Central Alberta/ submitted )

By rdnewsNOW staff

Nearly $23,000

Aspire Child Development Centre receives grant to replace bus destroyed in collision last year

Apr 30, 2025 | 1:21 PM

The Aspire Child Development Centre is one step closer towards the return of important transportation services for students who attend the therapy-based preschool.

Through the Community Foundation of Central Alberta’s grant of $22,954.42, Aspire will be able to fully cover the cost of a new bus in time for the 2025-2026 school year.

This comes after their bus caught fire and was destroyed following a three-vehicle collision at the intersection of Highway 2A and Township Road 400 in November 2024.

No children were on board but two staff members were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The incident also had wider repercussions for the transportation program.

The Aspire Transportation Program has been operating with just one bus since the incident.

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“When one of our buses was lost in an unforeseen accident in November, it had a profound effect on our ability to provide free transportation for families. The loss not only disrupted our service but also strained our budget, as the insurance settlement did not cover the full cost of replacing the bus,” said JoAnne Hayden, Executive Director of Aspire.

This has led to some staff members driving up to two and a half hours a day to make sure students can make it to school. This has allowed Aspire to continue to offer free transportation for students at no cost to families but the organization says it isn’t sustainable.

“Thanks to the generous support from the Community Foundation of Central Alberta, we now have the full funding needed to replace the bus,” Hayden added. “This vital funding allows us to continue supporting families by providing safe, reliable transportation for their children to our specialized preschool, where they receive the support, they need. We are deeply grateful to the Community Foundation for helping us remove barriers and serve families in central Alberta.”

Aspire is a charitable organization ran by professionals, who work with families, and the community to provide services to children with special needs.

“Our committee immediately understood the urgency in this request,” said Erin Peden, Community Foundation Executive Director. “With 75 per cent of Aspire’s specialized preschool students requiring transportation, we knew the importance of getting a replacement bus. As the community’s savings account, we see tremendous value in being able to support charities when faced with unexpected challenges. The Community Foundation took this opportunity to ease a tough burden for a local organization doing incredible work with children and their families.”