WESTLOCK – Members of the Westlock business community got some first-hand knowledge regarding the Westlock Community Foundation and how the newly formed organization, that came out of an extreme act of generousity, hopes to impact the future of the area.
The Westlock and District Chamber of Commerce welcomed Westlock Community Foundation chair Wayne Peyre and Westlock mayor Ralph Leriger to their Aug. 23 luncheon meeting. The pair provided an update on the foundation task force’s progress since it began earlier this year, what they hope to accomplish in the coming months and the organization’s impact on the community.
It was the foundation’s first time presenting at a chamber event.
“It’s an extremely important development for the Westlock community, which impacts the individuals, businesses involved with the Chamber, and we felt it was just a really important topic,” said Westlock and District Chamber of Commerce president Graeme Harrington. “Our presentations, while largely have been members and businesses, is not limited to (just that) so we thought it was a great opportunity to share some information on this foundation, which is so monumental for the community.”
The foundation formed following the passing of long-time residents Albert and Florence Miller, pillars of the community, who bequeathed their estate, valued at approximately $8 million, to the community.
Harrington noted the comprehensive presentation included a conversation on what a community foundation is and its role in the community. They also shared its vision statement, values that drive the foundation and the work involved to establish it.
“They talked about the business model or revenue model of a foundation, and they talked about how they envision the next few months playing out for them. It was really informative and covered a lot in the meeting,” said Harrington.
There was a good show of support at the meeting by the business community, he noted, adding it was one of the best attended monthly meetings for a chamber luncheon, with “well north of 30 or maybe 40 people.”
Highlights of the foundation’s presentation included sharing how important partnerships with local groups in the community will be for the organization, Harrington said, pointing out there may be opportunities for the foundation and the chamber to collaborate in the future as well.
“They’ve put a really great group of people in place to give this thing a chance to be successful right from the ground up,” said Harrington. “We’re really optimistic about it and proud for it to be a part of this community.”
The monthly chamber meeting also provided a brief update on upcoming fall and winter events including a golf tournament for members in September and a second annual curling bonspiel in November.
The summer has been a busy one for local businesses and the business community, said Harrington, pointing out some of the activity’s members participated in over the past few months.
“It’s been a busy summer, generally things are heading in the right direction in terms of people doing things again. Some of the post-pandemic challenges remain especially with staffing and human resources type of issues,” explained Harrington. “It’s been busy for us and members with Canada Day, the fair, and volunteerism opportunities. Members of our board and our membership have been really great with volunteering their time and energy into those efforts this summer and planning the golf tournament and the fall events that we’ll be looking at.”
