While the pandemic blazes on, a growing number of heartwarming initiatives continue to spring up around the Elk Valley.
At the forefront of love sharing is the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s donation of Easter treats to frontline workers. Receiving the treats were employees of the Elk Valley Hospital, as well as the B.C. Ambulance Service, who ended up taking home baskets full of chocolate just in time for Easter.
Owners of Fernie’s Rocky Mountain Chocolate shop, Shane and Mandy Nemanishen, participated in the initiative in an effort to thank frontline workers for their continued service, sacrifice, and dedication to the community. The kind gesture is part of Rocky Mountain Chocolate’s nationwide effort to spread joy and thanks, wherein they collectively donated over $500,000 worth of chocolate to those in need. Recipients included frontline healthcare workers, community groups, nursing homes, food banks, at risk individuals, and nonprofit organizations throughout the country. In total, more than 50 franchises across Canada participated in the donations, which also served the added bonus of allowing many employees of the company to return to work in order to produce and package the donations.
“We are living through an incredibly difficult time right now and the COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on our franchise owners, retail staff and their families,” says Brian Kerzner, president of Rocky Mountain Chocolate in a press release. “With our individual stores currently closed, our corporate team and franchisees are coming together to provide support for our staff while also giving back to those who are on the front lines of this crisis. Easter is one of our favourite holidays as a company and we are doing everything we can to continue offering seasonal treats to our customers to provide them with a sense of normalcy over the holidays, while also offering a sweet escape to communities and individuals in need during this challenging time.”
Also raising spirits this week was the announcement of this year’s recipients of the Volunteer of the Year bursary program in Elkford. The program was created to give community groups and nonprofit organizations in Elkford the chance to receive $1,000 to go towards a program that impacts the community. The lucky winners were selected by Annette Sheppard, winner of the 2019 Volunteer of the Year award, who sifted through all the applications under the Elkford Chamber of Commerce’s guidelines. Bearspaw Contracting along with the Elkford Chamber of Commerce awarded $500 to both The Elkford Arts Council and the Wapiti Ski Club.
Continuing to spread joy throughout the Elk Valley is the Vogue Theatre’s popcorn fairy. Each Friday night, volunteers deliver classic movie theatre treats to local residents to accompany their favourite flicks. For $20, customers receive four large popcorn bags and two large candies, conveniently dropped off at their doorstep. To sweeten the deal, a portion of the donations from each week go towards the local food bank.
“I began delivering popcorn to my friends in Fernie, and noticed how happy it made them, and that is how the popcorn fairy began,” said Rox Djonlich, owner of the Vogue Theatre. “We have a lot of product just sitting there, so we figured we should make more people smile by bringing the movie treats to them. We also miss all of our wonderful customers who have come to us for so many years, and now we can go to them. It is a real pleasure.”
To place an order, e-transfer $20 to voguepopcornfairy@gmail.com, along with information including address, name, phone number, what area of town the delivery needs to be sent to, and the number of orders desired for purchase. Orders must be placed by the Thursday prior, and will be delivered to Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Adding to the entertainment, StrongStart Fernie is now hosting regular story times at 10:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Run by Jodie Parker, an early childhood educator, StrongStart Fernie encourages parents and caregivers to take part in their children’s learning experiences. Their classes seek to develop the emotional, physical, social, and cognitive skills of youngsters through exciting activities. In their quarantine story time sessions, Parker reads to the children from exciting books, plays lively tunes, and gives them the opportunity to connect with their friends on Zoom. Those interested in participating can email Parker at jodie.parker@sd5.bc.ca, or join the new Facebook page titled StrongStart Fernie.
All throughout the valley, we see community members coming together to support one another with innovative and fun initiatives that inspire hope in this time of crisis.
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