Back to school season can be an exciting time for students, but it can also bring on stress for families as they experience the financial burden of sourcing new school supplies for each of their kids every fall.
To help alleviate some of that stress, Inter Pipeline was proud to once again support programs that set up school-aged children for success, filling backpacks with supplies for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. In addition to company-led backpack packing events, we invited employees to build a pack at home and have their families take part. Across our operating areas and events, Inter Pipeliners were proud to fill nearly 1,500 backpacks with supplies like calculators, pencils and binders to help ensure the students are set up for success when they returned to school this month across Alberta.
“Inter Pipeline has been a longtime supporter of this effort recognizing it plays an important role in preparing kids to confidently return to school each fall,” said Breanne Oliver, Vice President, People & Stakeholder Relations.
“Packing the backpacks is one of our most popular volunteer events each year. We know that many of the most vulnerable families are struggling with cost of living increases these days and this is one way we can help. We had more than 100 Inter Pipeliners volunteer their time, and that spirit is always amazing to be a part of.”
Learn more about the backpack programs we supported in our operating communities below.
Women in Need Society (WINS)
For the past eight years, our Calgary office has been dedicated to helping the Women in Need Society (WINS) with getting backpacks ready to ensure kids at a financial disadvantage have a stress-free transition into the new school year. More than 80 Inter Pipeliners took time out of their day to pack over 400 backpacks for the WINS backpack program.
The Women in Need Society is a Calgary based charity organization that was founded in 1992. Since then, they have been actively providing women and their families with their basic needs and continuous support. The backpack program sets kids up for success, one backpack at a time.
Tools for School
This year, our teams in Fort Saskatchewan and Sherwood Park partnered with the United Way on their Tools for School initiative, packing 261 backpacks in Fort Saskatchewan and 346 backpacks in Sherwood Park for students grades K-12. These supply-filled backpacks were shipped out to schools in Sturgeon County, Strathcona County and Lamont County.
For almost thirty years, Tools for School has helped provide backpacks full of school supplies to vulnerable students, reducing one known barrier preventing children from successfully participating in school. Through corporate sponsors and community donors, Tools for School provides vital school supplies to set students up for success from day one. Annually, thousands of low-income children in the greater Edmonton region start school on an equal footing with their peers, thanks to this program.
Conklin Community School
Inter Pipeline partnered with Wolf Midstream to bring a Back-to-School Community Day to Conklin in support of the students from the Conklin Community School. Participants received a free lunch and were able to fill a backpack with much-needed supplies. In total, 45 backpacks were handed out to students. In addition to the backpack station, the event had craft stations, a hairdresser offering free haircuts for students, and a selection of running shoes that students got to pick a pair from to set them up for gym class.
Stoney Nakoda Nations
Inter Pipeline was proud to sponsor a Back to School Fair & BBQ for students from Stoney Nakoda Nations. The first of its kind in the community, school-aged kids were invited to the Mînî Thnî Recreation Centre to fill a backpack of their choosing with the supplies they needed for the upcoming school year. The Inter Pipeline team was proud to support 260 kids from the Nation with back-to-school supplies to set them up for a successful year ahead.
Bonnyville Friendship Centre
The Bonnyville and Conklin Community Investment Committees partnered to support the Bonnyville Friendship Centre’s back-to-school campaign. A total of $3,000 and 30 backpacks were donated to the Centre to purchase school supplies and food bank items in support of local youth and families preparing for the back-to-school season in the Bonnyville region.