Mike and Corinna Robinson, co-owners of local business Lotic Environmental, made a donation of $20,000 this month to the Cranbrook Women’s Resource Centre.
The Women’s Centre relies solely on a gaming grant and community donations in order to stay open. Co-ordinator Denise Stewart is the Centre’s sole employee as they can only afford to have one. She explained that the centre goes into every year without knowing how much of a budget they will have.
“Because if we don’t get our gaming grant, well that’s a big hit,” Stewart said. “The community only has so much money in it, so there’s only so many organizations the community can donate to. It’s like fear of the unknown every year, you don’t know what you’re going into.”
READ MORE: Women’s and Men’s resource centres launch unique enterprise
The Robinsons were aware of the annual stress and challenges the Women’s Centre face. Mike Robinson participated in their Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser — which hasn’t taken place lately — in the past and learned a lot in the process.
“Mike actually did the high heel walk with the women’s centre a few years ago and had got a lot of background about the women’s centre when he did that walk and just knowing that they greatly depend on all sorts of donations, gaming grants, these types of fundraisers like the high heel walk,” explained Corinna Robinson.
She then spoke with Stewart and found out that they don’t receive government funding, rather they rely entirely on their gaming grant — which isn’t a sure thing or a set amount each year — and community donations.
“It just seemed like a good fit for our money to help out a great organization in Cranbrook who do so much for women in need and families as well,” Robinson said. “I know it does go beyond women as well and helps out their children too when they need it.”
Robinson explained that they try to make a donation every year, but this was the first time they’ve made such a significant singular contribution. Lotic has supported, among many others, The ALS Fun Run, the Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary Film Festival, Fisher Peak Music in the Park, the Cranbrook Food Bank, Cranbrook and District 4-H and Rocky Mountain Naturalists.
“We hear things, like for instance when the Food Bank is struggling or the Meals on Wheels when they had to cancel that program, so when we hear local groups that aren’t able to make ends meat and are needing to therefore stop their services it really does make us want to step up and help in that matter,” Robinson said.
“Because we know how vital it is for the community and since we live here we want to be part of it. And our kids are growing up here and we really value the fact that we want to live in a community that can thrive and can help everybody across the board. We just want everybody to be supported in our community, so that’s important to us.”
READ MORE: Walk a Mile In Her Shoes: Taking the First Step
Stewart said that with this one donation and their gaming grant, they are all set for the year in terms of funding.
“The money that was donated takes away all the pressure of doing a big fundraising campaign and it allows us to operate for a year because it’s exactly the money we need to operate for a year,” Stewart said. “That and our gaming grant, we’re good.”
Stewart added that she can’t say how grateful she is for the donation.