StreetSide Developments Calgary Helps Community Members During Season of Giving

Calgary, AB – StreetSide Developments Calgary’s recent partnerships with two community organizations have allowed the team to give back and bring joy to community members in need. The team has supported both the Calgary Seniors Secret Service and the Highbanks Society for two years in a row.

Don O’Dwyer, Director, Development, StreetSide Developments Calgary, said being part of Qualico makes the opportunity to help out in the community possible.

“We consider ourselves fortunate to be part of Qualico, an organization that consistently and wholeheartedly supports philanthropic endeavours,” said Don. “The ability to contribute regularly and without hesitation is truly something worth celebrating. The fact that Qualico makes it so incredibly easy to directly help people in need makes it a very special place to work.”

For the Calgary Seniors Secret Service, StreetSide Developments Calgary supported four seniors who might be facing isolation due to being estranged from their families, widowed with no children, or having no family support. There is a great need for the service, as more than 6,000 seniors signed up for it in 2023 alone.

The StreetSide Developments Calgary team purchases, wraps, and delivers gifts for the seniors, which is organized by Renee Buskow, Product Coordinator, StreetSide Developments Calgary. Don noted that Renee has been very dedicated to the cause, often working outside of office hours. Over the past two years, the entire team has volunteered around 80 hours total for the organization.

Don and his family have made supporting Calgary Seniors Secret Service a Christmas tradition for many years, and it inspired the rest of the team to take part as well, according to Renee.

“He brought it up with me last year in October and I thought it would be a great idea,” said Renee. “Everyone who was involved really enjoyed being a part of it. It’s nice knowing that you are helping make someone’s Christmas just a little brighter.”

Renee said she now incorporates the tradition into her own family’s Christmas, and a few other employees have also done the same outside of work.

“There are a lot of seniors who don’t really have anyone and just as many who may have family but don’t ever really see them,” she said. “I can imagine how lonely that is, and if there is something I can do to help make a Christmas special, that means a lot to me.”

The other organization that has received StreetSide Developments Calgary’s support is the Highbanks Society, which takes in young, pregnant, or parenting women who come from dire situations (domestic violence, poverty, and/or homelessness) and gives them a fully furnished place to live, provides them with childcare so they can finish school, provides much needed counselling and emotional support, and teaches them how to be independent, single mothers in a safe environment.

Through an informal partnership with the Highbanks Society, the team has donated showhome furniture and decor items to furnish and decorate the homes for these young mothers and their children. StreetSide Developments Calgary team members Emma Murray, Kim Orr, and Renee have worked with Highbanks Society volunteers to coordinate donations.

So far, the team has donated hundreds of items, including dozens of pieces of furniture. Donated items include beds and mattresses, dining tables and chairs, coffee tables, décor (wall hangings and paintings), lamps, and rugs. When the young women complete their program, they are able to take everything with them.

Renee said the impact of the Highbanks Society and the donations is significant, and noted that the program often has more applicants than it can support at one time.

“Some of these girls have never even had their own bed before,” she said. “So the donations honestly just blew them away. It’s really special to hear about the girls laughing and their faces lighting up at the ability to ‘shop’ the donations.”

StreetSide Developments Calgary’s involvement with the Highbanks Society came about through Don, as his mother-in-law, Shelly, and her sister Shawna, claimed a section of his garage to repair and store various furniture and decor items earmarked for the Highbanks Society apartments.

“As I observed the continuous influx and outflow of these items, I realized the frequency and urgency of the need,” Don explained. “This prompted me to discuss the matter with the StreetSide Developments team, and we collectively agreed that redirecting our gently used items to this specific cause, instead of donating them for resale through thrift stores, would generate an immediate and impactful benefit. We were right.”

Thanks to the work of the Highbanks Society and the donations and support from StreetSide Developments Calgary, many young mothers are able to get themselves into safer living situations and are able to access the things they need to be successful parents and community members.