The City’s Gifts of Kindness fund had an influx of summer support recently as a local family donated $10,000 towards the charity. 

“From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you to Glen and Jeannette Richardson who have so generously contributed to the Gifts of Kindness fund,” says Danielle Fermin, the City of Chestermere’s Manager of Community Support Services. “We are receiving more and more requests for support this year and these funds will go a long way to ensuring we can support our residents through some very challenging situations.” 

Glen and Jeannette Richardson have lived in Chestermere since 1997 and have been regular contributors to the fund, but they decided to give a larger amount this year. 

“We had some extra money because I’d sold some classic cars of mine and we just wanted to give back to the community,” says Glen. “This is a difficult time for many people, and we consider ourselves fortunate and we want to pay it forward.”

“We’re not physically active in the community, but we do believe in our community, so we felt that we’d love to give,” adds Jeannette. 

The Richardsons expressed that they are pleased that the funds will be supporting the City’s efforts to help people in need. 

The City’s Gifts of Kindness charity (previously called Christmas with Dignity) provides short term funding to residents who are struggling. 

Whether it means covering a utility bill, connecting them with the food bank, providing transportation to an emergency shelter or helping cover the cost of medications, the Gifts of Kindness fund acts as a short-term support until residents can get back on their feet or established with longer term funding assistance. 

“There are a lot of people who are hurting, and it’s just one small way we can help out a little bit,” Glen concludes. 

For more information on Gifts of Kindness, including how to apply to access support, visit www.chestermere.ca/kindness.