Charitable organizations in Calgary can count on a wide range of people in the city to step up to support those in need.
And now some Calgary kids are helping other kids in crisis.
Families with children at the Wee Wild Ones daycare have raised $50,000 to donate to the Children’s Cottage Society.
The agency provides short-term shelter for kids whose families need emergency support.
“Our crisis nursery is where children can come and stay for up to 72 hours — no questions asked — whenever their parents are dealing with a crisis or situation that they just need some support with,” the Children’s Cottage’s Sarah Hughes said.
The daycare donation is something the agency can really use right now, as the number of families seeking shelter rises during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are turning away 1,900 children a year,” Hughes said.
“It’s keeping kids in a stressful situation, which is not good for anybody. It’s not good for the parents, it’s not good for families, it’s not good for the community.”
The Wee Wild Ones daycare raised most of its $50,000 donation by holding a family “Monster March” fundraising walk on Oct. 30, 2021.
“We have the little ones to inspire us,” Wee Wild Ones’ owner Chloe Dusser said. “It’s so close to home for us and since the Children’s Cottage takes care of children and so do we, it felt like a fitting cause to support.”
The daycare donation will go toward construction of an additional Children’s Cottage facility in Calgary, which will provide more space to take in kids whose families are in crisis.
Children’s Cottage staff are grateful for the support of the daycare families.
“It’s a heartwarming, stunning thing to have kids raising money for kids,” Hughes said.
“It’s really wonderful to be embraced by the community.”