Calgary Retirees. Community Service

Transcription

1 bp volunteers Calgary Retirees 2014 Annual Report 1 Community Service BP Projects & Others Hours BP Alumni Activities 370 Birthplace Forest 75 Bow Habitat Station 430 Pearce Estate 78 Bluebird Project 114 Food Bank - Garden of Eat n 1,337 -Warehouse 584 Calgary Promotion 1,200 Churches 1,911 Community Associations 1,374 Cultural Groups 371 Golf Marshals -ATB Classic 426 -Shaw Classic 824 Health / Hospitals / Medical 920 Highway Clean Up 164 History / Museums 310 Nature / Environment / Parks 254 Service to Needy 610 Service to Seniors 794 Sports & Recreation 227 Tutoring & Education 198 Waiparous Clean-up 98 Wellness Fair 30 Wheels for Kids 2,005 Yarn Burners 3,330 Youth Activities 1,637 BP Volunteers Mgmt. & Admin. 534 Miscellaneous BP Projects 99 Miscellaneous Other Projects 400 Sub Totals BP Retiree Volunteers 10,498 Other BP Retiree Projects 10,206 Grand Total 20,704 Hours Bold Items are BP Volunteer Projects Volunteer Golf Marshals ATB Financial. 15 volunteers 426 hours The first marshaling project for 2014 was the ATB Financial Golf Classic at the Sirocco Golf Club July 31- Aug 3- It was an event blessed with fine weather which contributed to exceptional play. The winner, Brock Mackenzie, won $27,000. ATB contributed $35,000 to Hockey Alberta s Every Kid, Every Community program. Shaw Classic 824 hours 25 BP +10 other volunteers Calgary s second pro golf tournament was the Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows. The winner, Fred Couples earned $337,000. Charities benefitted by just over $2.4 million. These included Hull Services, Kids Cancer Care, the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre and the Youthlink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre. Coordinator: Ross McDougall *For Volunteer opportunities us at

2 2 Bow Habitat Station- Pearce Estate Park BHS 4 volunteers 430 hours PEP 10 volunteers 78 hours In June, a $5,000 BP Energy donation was presented to Bow Habitat Station Managing Director Robyn Saude by BP Retirees Lloyd Horn and Brian Thompson. Random Campsite Cleanup 9 volunteers 98 hours In this fifth year, nine BP Volunteers and one employee joined four members of Ghost River Alliance Society (GWAS) to clean up debris from random campsites After a late May snowstorm, ten BP Retirees joined eight others from Bow Habitat Station to remove winter refuse from Pearce Estate Park and leaf litter from the Cold Water Stream. Four pickup loads included burned out barbeques, lawn chair frames, a microwave used as a firearm target, uncounted cartridges, yards of old carpet, and numerous garbage bags full of beverage containers and trash. The largest item was a 12 foot RV trailer full of camping litter. Volunteers Sue Draychuk and Jack Melnyk cleaning the BP Cold Water Stream, Efforts will now be focused on addressing the invasion of unwanted plants in the naturalized areas of the park. This will be independent of the City programs and will enable more effective organization of our volunteer days around the remediation needs of the park. Interest in programs at the Bow Habitat Station Discovery Center and the Kid s Can Catch Trout Pond continues to grow. To become an Ambassador at Pearce Estate or a volunteer at Bow Habitat Station, please contact Brian Thompson or Lloyd Horn. Following the cleanup, the group gathered at the home of GWAS president Heinz Unger for a hamburger BBQ including premeal snacks and beverages cumulating with a Sue Draychuk dessert. The nearby Butters Ranch supplied the grass fed beef. The day wrapped up with an update by Heinz of GWAS activities and efforts to preserve the Ghost River watershed ecosystem. Heinz also expressed a sincere Thank you to BP for their $ grant. Coordinator: Phil Unland Coordinators: Lloyd Horn & Brian Thompson

3 3 Highway I Clean-up 16 volunteers 90 hours The Highway 1A clean-up on Tue August 12th collected 15 bags of garbage including a collection of tools, a trailer license but no trailer and what appears to have been a very skimpy negligée. great day topped off with KFC chicken and salads and desserts contributed by Gerda, Sue and Ellen. Bluebird Nesting Boxes 8 volunteers 114 hours On April 12, 2014, a minus five degree morning, eight BP retirees gathered at the home of Bill Spencer and together with Bill and his uncle, the group completed 118 Mountain Bluebird boxes in an 8 hour period. Their purpose was to assist in the recovery of the Mountain Bluebird, a native to Alberta which is considered a threatened species. Highway 2 Clean-up 13 volunteers 74 hours Sept. 2nd was a great morning to collect garbage.. with 21 bags gathered. And a profitable morning too one volunteer found $20 and another found a five dollar bill. Also found was a 20 ton clevis that s on its way to rural Saskatchewan. Bill Spencer s environmental and philanthropic spirit underpins this project. He provides all the building material, construction tools and work space (his garage) for the hard (?) working carpenters. The weather cooperated, it was a great day topped off with a super lunch in Okotoks at a great lunch location pointed out by Joan & Ray Price. Bill has found the key to production is coffee and unlimited nourishment. Special thanks to Betty, Dawn and Ellen for their contribution of salads, buns and desserts. Coordinator: John Klochko, Fence posts on and near Spencer s farm in the Consort area received 108 of the boxes in time for the return migration of the birds. The remaining ten went to Calgary s Heritage Park. In this 5th year of the project, a positive recovery of the birds in the nesting area has been observed. Coordinator: Phil Unland

4 4 Food Bank 21 volunteers 583 hours Our dedicated group continues their monthly program at the Food Bank. BP s financial support for this activity also continues to be provided by its annual grant. Nose Creek Restoration Project 12 volunteers 69 hours Twelve volunteers gathered on the banks of West Nose creek on the blustery morning of May 28, It was only +7 degrees C. the wind was intense and it was raining moderately. Nevertheless the 12 volunteers soldiered on and planted 257 willow trees along the creek banks of the creek located in the rural area of Rockyview County. Shown here are most of the 2014 work group regulars with Dawn Horn making the cheque presentation to Keoma Duce, Developmental Coordinator-Organizational Giving. For a bit of nostalgia- the 1998 crew. BP Volunteers partnered with Bow Valley Habitat Development (BVHD) focused on improving fish habitat by planting willows in smaller streams feeding the Bow River. The willows create shade thus lowering the stream water temperature and making it more suitable for trout and sport fishing. Prior to the mid-1960s, rainbow trout could be caught in this stream. And if you would like to join the current groupnew volunteers are still welcome! As the weather interfered with a planned streamside lunch, the Thorburns provided their home for a sheltered picnic which included a Sue Draychuk dessert. Thank you Eileen, Rob and Sue. Coordinator: Phil Unland Coordinator: Dawn Horn

5 5 Wheels For Kids 7 volunteers 2005 hours WFK operations for 2014 marked another year of high demand for bikes, trikes and scooters, with 291 being sent out to ten agencies. Alumni Club BP Wellness Fair 5 volunteers 30 hours At the BP Centre on October 29 about 25 organizations shared information on health and wellbeing for BP employees. The Calgary Wellness Network also joined the Health Fair. Wheels For Kids appreciate the help of the agencies in organizing requests of the families they serve. WFK now begins their 18th year. Contact- Dave Thompson: dhthompson@shaw.ca Garden of Eat n 11 BP retirees 305 hours 27 BP staff 126 hours Plus 136 Others 906 hours The 2014 work program began with planting on May 14 th followed by weeding on June 23, July 21 and August 11 th. Among the exhibits was a display of volunteer activities indicating their contribution to the community and the benefits derived from this activity. In addition, part of the display highlighted the BP Annuitant website and the information available there.. Yarn Burners 3330 hours 11 volunteers In 2014, the eleven Yarn Burner members amassed a total of 3330 hours. Their November 4 th & 5 th sale was held in the BP building back lobby and again was a successful event. The two day harvest was Sept 8 th and 15 th. Snow fell in Calgary all of the first harvest day and it was miserable and wet. Jack Begg lit a blazing fire and kept it roaring for six hours so volunteers could warm their hands. The 19,530 pound harvest included 9,230 lbs of beets, 8,700 lbs of carrots, 1,300 lbs of onions and 300 lbs of potatoes. Begun in 1996, this project has donated over 155,000 pounds of organic produce to The Calgary Food Bank. Coordinator: Marlene Begg L/R: Gerda Weiss, Gwen Smith, Bieny Prior, Gudrun Czypionka & Judy Bilinski- missing from photo- Susan Little. Other members of the high hours group include Joan Price, Shirley Gerus, Marion Krzywda, Susanne McRae, & Lorraine White. During the two day sale and with orders taken at the sale, the group sold $ worth of hand crafted items. Coordinator: Judy Bilinski

6 6 Silver Springs Birthplace Forest 75 hours 14 retirees + BP Staff These urban forests were created by the planting of a tree for every baby born in a specific year. Launched in 2001 by the City of Calgary Parks and its partners BP Canada, the Calgary Health Region and Golden Acre Sentre. From 2001 to 2009, BP Canada planted over 50, 000 trees dedicated to 33,000 babies in nine parks. Presidents Message Time passes quickly- especially in retirement. It s been two decades since Dave Thompson and Lloyd Horn joined the organizing team for a group called AmoCARES*. Very simply, it was a way for retirees to contribute to the community in which they had worked and lived. An activity which has continued as BP Calgary Retiree Volunteers. AmoCARES was launched in September Their first undertaking a month later was a Food and Clothing Drive for Calgary s needy. On May 31 st, BP Canada partnered with the City of Calgary Parks to host an event honouring the legacy and celebrating BP s rich history in Calgary. This second year of the current partnership honours the Silver Springs forest which was planted in This year marks its 12 th birthday. Many projects have followed over the years. Photos of some of these activities and of some of the volunteers who carried them out may be found in the candid photo section of this report. Over the last 20 years, the management of Amoco Canada and BP Canada have provided uninterrupted support for our volunteer activity. We continue to benefit from an excellent relationship with those leading BP operations in Canada. The year 2014 marked a significant milestone. We look forward to continuing a wide range of volunteer projects and joining in projects with active employees wherever possible. The celebration included nature stations, Artin-the-park, Grandpa s Forest book reading, potato- sack races, face painting and a scavenger hunt. After all this, a BBQ lunch, cotton candy and a birthday cake were served. Coordinator: Judy Bilinski Rob Thorburn President: BP Volunteers Calgary Retirees *AmoCARES Concerned Amoco Employees Engaged in Service

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