Some beleaguered residents of Slave Lake just started making the long, slow drive back home yesterday. Hopefully, settling back into their regular lives will be made just a little bit easier, thanks to the enormous outpouring of support from communities all across the province.
Here in St. Albert, concerned resident and former city council candidate Aisling Pollard-Kientzel set up a donation collection centre on the Victoria Day holiday. Shoppers and passersby made the effort completely worthwhile.
"It was an absolute success. It was really good," she enthused, adding people were so interested they double-checked her website at stalbertcares.wordpress.com to make sure they brought exactly what was needed. Some people, she said, donated and then came back to donate again.
Local automobile rental agency Budget gave her free rein of a one-tonne transport truck to help get all of the non-perishable food, pet food, personal hygiene items, and stationery supplies to evacuation centres in Westlock and Athabasca.
Pollard-Kientzel said the truck was filled to the brim and goods were delivered Monday night to the very appreciative recipients.
Running Room Walk-It
The second annual Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge happens in two weeks' time. It's only five kilometres but for some people, just getting out of bed early in the morning for the event is a challenge.
This year's event starts at the St. Albert Running Room located at 17 St. Anne St. The start time is 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, meaning that there is certainly going to be some people with sleep still in their eyes.
As long as they've got their sneakers on, nothing else matters, say local representatives.
"We do support lots of walking events all across the country," stated Owen Bowles, marketing co-ordinator for the Running Room.
"[Walking] is great for people of all fitness levels, it has a lower impact than running … lots of benefits."
To entice more participants, the event is entirely free.
To register for the walk, visit www.runningroom.com/weightwatchers. For more information or to download a training guide, visit www.weightwatchers.ca/walkit.
Bowles expects to see several hundred walkers across the Edmonton area this time around.
