I met the Richardsons on a lazy Sunday in St. Albert.
I met the Richardsons on a lazy Sunday in St. Albert.
Although the rain had only hit their home community of Wood Buffalo sporadically over the weekend, the family was thankful for the steady stream of precipitation that was keeping them indoors and pajama-clad that morning. For the first time since calling St. Albert their new, albeit temporary, home they finally had a chance to slow down.
Over the past three weeks, the Richardsons, Elizabeth and Donnie, have been busy, like many other evacuees, getting their finances in order, picking up debit cards from the province and getting acquainted with their adoptive cities.
Two days earlier, their eldest daughter, Rebecca, crossed the stage in cap and gown with the graduates from St. Albert Catholic High School.
It was a moment she and her mom had both been dreaming about for a long time, although Rebecca did have some doubts about partaking in a ceremony that culminated 12 years hard work with a bunch of strangers.
It took some convincing on the part of a newfound friend, St. Albert resident Dana Shaw, and an outpouring of generosity from the community to get the 17-year-old to the Jubilee Auditorium Friday, but in the end she was happy to be a part of the night.
“When SACHS adopted me into their school it felt like I was coming home to something,” she said.
Naturally, Rebecca was hoping to return to Fort McMurray for the graduation she had envisioned all year.
Everything was planned. She had found “the” dress. She had a date to walk her through Fort McMurray during the grad march and despite attending different high schools her best friends were going to be there to witness her accepting her diploma, and she theirs.
Then the fire forced the family to flee south, leaving behind her dress (still at the seamstress awaiting alterations) and the friendships she had built over the years.
When it became clear the mandatory evacuation order would not be lifted any time soon, many of her friends moved back to their home provinces, unlikely to return before beginning their post-secondary education.
The Richardsons thought about doing the same. The first week of the evacuation they stayed in a motel, thinking they'd be back home within three days.
But the blaze just kept growing. Days started turning into weeks, and so they began making other plans. The family thought about driving across the country to Ontario to stay with family; instead they found a family willing to adopt them here.
Through her employer, RBC, Elizabeth received a lead on a couple opening up their home to evacuees.
Bill Holtby, former city manager, and wife Donna Sokolik-Holtby, were already hosting two dogs, Kaya and Lexie (their owners were unable to secure kennel), but wanted to do more.
In a matter of days, the couple went from being long-time empty nesters to having a full house.
“It's going to be a little weird leaving Donna and Bill,” said Elizabeth. “They feel a bit like foster mom and dad.”
“We'll miss them,” Donna chimed in from across the living room, where she and 12-year-old Emily Richardson are playing with Kaya and Lexie.
Donna welcomed the family with open arms, said Elizabeth – literally giving each family member a hug upon arrival.
It was the couple's goodwill, and their connections to the community, that got the ball rolling on preparations for Rebecca's grad.
The 17-year-old found out about the ceremony last Monday, during her first day back to school. Realizing that even if a retroactive ceremony were to be held in the fall, she might have a hard time making it home from Lethbridge (where she will be studying business administration), she gave in to Dana's pleas.
“Dana was really open. When you go to a new school and there's 25 days or less left … you don't know what to do,” said Rebecca. “I'm the social one at my school, but when you go to a new school, it's like now I'm really shy and don't want to talk to anybody.”
Dana spoke to the vice-principal, who arranged for the extra tickets and other accommodations, such as printing out five additional programs with Rebecca's name for the Richardsons and their friends. This gesture particularly moved Mom.
“They made Rebecca feel as if she had always gone to that school, and not that she was a Fort McMurray evacuee,” said Elizabeth.
Rebecca found a new dress through Cinderella's Closet, a not-for-profit aimed at providing low-income students with graduation attire. It was in need of a few alterations as well as a good dry cleaning. Donna called Sharon's Dress Making, who in turn called City Dry Cleaners, which provided same-day cleaning free of charge.
The Rock Salon also donated their services, as did the Hudson's Bay makeup department, Funky Petals and London Drugs' photo lab.
Witnessing how the community rallied to help this hardworking young woman mark an important milestone Donna said she couldn't be prouder to be St. Albertan.
For Elizabeth, Friday was a dream come true. “She proved, she conquered and she got to walk across that stage and make me cry,” she said.
