The contest that possibly saved the lives of an entire family in St. Albert last year has returned, and the deadline for nominations is almost up.
Feel the Love (formerly called Heat Up) offers a free Lennox furnace to deserving recipients in communities across North America. When Trevor and Jessica Samchuk won locally in 2017, they felt pretty lucky. They didn’t realize how lucky until local furnace installer True North Heating and Cooling told them that their old furnace had been leaking carbon monoxide into the home and likely causing some serious health issues, which could have ended up threatening their lives.
True North also needed to design and install custom ductwork to ensure that the new furnace would operate at an optimal level. The Samchuks didn’t have to pay a dime as the company picked up all the extra costs associated with the materials and labour.
Now, it’s someone else’s turn.
“Someone in St. Albert will be chosen again this year to receive a free furnace for Thanksgiving,” said co-owner Carmal Huppie. “True North will review the nominations, visit the finalists, and choose a deserving family.”
Nomination stories must be received by Wednesday, Aug. 29. Visit www.feelthelove.com/alberta for the submission form.
Delicious drinks for kids by kids
The sun and clear skies had better come out for Lemonade Stand Day on Sunday, Aug. 26. The Simply Supper event has almost 450 kid-operated stands from Fort McMurray to Texas all selling the sweet juice of the gods in support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital. There are 27 stands set for St. Albert alone.Visit www.simplysupper.ca/helps/lemonade-stand-day to learn more and see a full list of locations.
It’s a dog-help-dog world
If you’ve never seen an exercise class with dogs meandering about, well … you’ll have to keep waiting.Kathryn Morrow tried to hold one last week at Edmonton’s Rhino Gym as a fundraiser for Grifs Animal Rescue Foundation, a new small breed senior dog rescue non-profit organization. It was all in support of JuJu, a tiny Pekingese pooch that was rescued earlier this year in poor health. It has since lost the use of its back legs but hasn’t lost any of its animal appeal.
“In January, I wasn’t ready to start my rescue yet, but I saw JuJu at Animal Care and Control. I partnered up with one of the big rescues here – ARTS Senior Animal Rescue – and asked if we could work together to get this little dog out. When I saw her, it didn’t say anything on her profile but she has some pretty high medical needs,” Morrow said, listing off infections, double shoulder dysplasia, and being a probable puppy mill survivor. She needs special booties in order to maintain a grip on floors.
“Her energy level is there. It’s just that her body doesn’t serve her.”
She already held previous events, fundraising for JuJu’s weekly chiropractic and acupuncture. The treatments did help the dog to lift herself up and take some steps for a time, but not permanently. She started dragging her back end around.
The collection was meant to help the foundation provide it with a wheelchair unit so that the dog could still get around. Instead, some wheels were donated outright, leaving the money to go toward the foundation’s other efforts, including supporting other dogs and public education through presentations at schools and elsewhere.
The good news: JuJu has taken steps with the new wheels. The funny news: trying to work out with dogs around is an exercise in futility.
“It turned out that nobody wanted to work out. Everybody just wanted to pet the dogs. It ended up just being a wonderful social event.”
Despite the non-workout, more than $500 was raised. Morrow will still be accepting donations until Monday, Aug. 27. People can visit www.facebook.com/grifsanimalrescue to contribute.
Speaking of dogs
The annual dog swim at the Grosvenor Outdoor Pool is almost upon us. The facility’s last day of summer operations also serves as the one day that the dogs get to take over. This year’s event will be held on Monday, Sept. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is a donation to help support the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS). Monetary donations are preferred but the organization will also accept animal-related products such as cat litter, pet food and treats, and training pads or gift cards.Humans are advised to bring their own cleanup bags and to use them should the need arise. Dogs must be up to date on their rabies shots and vaccines, too. Visit www.scarscare.ca to learn more about the organization.
