It’s been 28 years since Art Jenkins opened St. Albert’s first Tim Hortons, but he knew at the beginning he wanted to use his restaurant to give back to the community.
That dedication was rewarded last week when the city announced that Jenkins, his wife Joan, son Chad and his wife Gidget Bouchard, and daughter Justine Jenkins-Crumb and her husband Stephen Crumb were the recipients of the 2011 St. Albert Philanthropy Award.
“We didn’t set out to get any awards,” said Jenkins, who opened the first St. Albert Tim Hortons in 1983 after working in the steel industry in Hamilton, Ont. “We just set out to do what was the right thing, to put back into the community.”
In the news release announcing the award, the city lists 40 organizations, events and causes that have been helped by the Jenkins’, now with three stores in St. Albert, one in Morinville and one in north Edmonton. And that list only scratches the surface.
“They just give and give and give,” said Mayor Nolan Crouse. “They are not discriminatory; they give to the arts, they give to sports and they give to whoever is in need of help. We’re thrilled they were selected.”
Chad, who now oversees much of the business, says one constant helps unite individuals in the events to which the family donates: food and drink.
“Different groups are always trying to find ways to empower volunteers and a lot of the times they do that through food and drink,” he said.
The family sees more requests for help than they can possibly count, but always try to get involved where it feels the need is genuine.
“If money’s an issue, if it’s maybe a fundraiser or event for children or for groups of people that are behind the eight ball in one way shape or form, we like to get involved,” said Chad. “We try to support the culture we build around children. That’s what we gravitate to.”
Most notable in all the family does is its support for the Northern Alberta Children’s Festival, which it does in company with other Tim Hortons stores and the larger company as a whole.
“It’s huge. It brings smiles to a lot of children and, in the end, isn’t that what that’s all about?” Art asked. “It’s better for younger people to see that they can set their sights on a destination.”
Other recipients of financial, in-kind or volunteer support include the St. Albert Food Bank, the Fill-a-Bus program, local schools, the St. Albert Soccer Association and the Sturgeon Hospital, just to name a few.
“It’s quite an honour for us,” said Art. “We’ve gotten many honours from St. Albert but this one puts the icing on the cake.”
