The national organization that provides young adults with volunteer and cultural opportunities across the country has a new crew of 11 fresh faces in town for the next few months. While they have a home base here, each hopes to acquire a host family for a 10-day billet from Feb. 12 to 21 as a way of branching out further into the community.
Project leader Lyndi Woo said this is a vital part of the horizon-broadening experience as it provides the quintessential flavour of life in St. Albert that they wouldn't otherwise get from their community work.
"A lot of Katimavik is about discovering the 'Canadian reality' in each community. Living with a local family allows them to be involved in the community in a different way and from a different perspective as opposed to living in the house with a group of people who are all from different places across Canada," she explained.
The 11 youths from Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and British Columbia arrived last Wednesday and have only just begun their work. They will be involved with various civic agencies and departments like the St. Albert Food Bank, the Michif Cultural and Resource Institute, the Community Information and Volunteer Centre, as well as the City of St. Albert. These volunteer opportunities are meant to promote civic engagement and foster sustainable communities.
To encourage local residents to sign up as hosts, Woo vouched for the team members, saying they were respectable and well behaved.
"I think that they're a great group," she enthused, remarking she also received character references from the last rotation that each youth worked on. "There were no behavioural issues. Everyone is very pleasant and polite and outgoing and energetic and very positive."
A subsistence allowance of $10 a day is provided to each host to help with additional household costs, he added.
To find out more or to sign up as a host, visit www.katimavik.org or call Woo at 780-569-3454.
Chamber gala
The countdown is on for one of the city's premier business social events. The St. Albert Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual gala at the end of the month when Mike Howes will be formally installed as chair.
Chamber president and CEO Lynda Moffat said the gala will feature plenty of entertainment and should serve as a fantastic chance to network with many other local businesspeople. While it isn't intended to be a major fundraiser, she did mention the chamber has started a long-term plan to construct a new building for its headquarters.
The gala takes place Jan. 30 at the Glendale Golf & Country Club, 12410 – 199th Street in Edmonton at 6 p.m. Tickets are $90 and can be obtained from the office at 71 St. Albert Road or by phoning 780-458-2833.
