COCHRANE— Putting boots to the ground to support community members in need, Make a Difference Maintenance hosted a bottle drive fundraiser raising nearly $2,000 for Big Hill Haven.
Organizer Tony Moores said it was exciting raising money for the critical service in the community.
“It’s all about engaging in the community where we’re fortunate … Helping those in need at Christmas,” he said.
December proved to be a slower month at Make a Difference Maintenance and the group decided to volunteer to help out a local non-profit in the Cochrane area with a bottle drive fundraiser.
Over the course of a two-weeks the bottle drive in was able to raise $1813.75 for Big Hill Haven.
Make A Difference Maintenance was founded in the fall of 2020 by Moores and James Darby. The full-service property maintenance company is designed to employ special needs or developmentally disadvantaged young adults. The goal of the organization is to provide and show young adults the value of hard days work, while engaging with recreational activities like hiking or meditation.
Over the winter Make a Difference Maintenance has been foccussed on snow clearing, he said, but they hope to expand their services in the spring to take on painting, mowing, power raking and more as well.
The long-term goal is to get the young adults working three days a week, giving them cash and experience that can aid them when they take on a full-time jobs, Moores said.
“A lot of them struggle with their own struggles be it depression, be it learning disabilities or whatever,” Moores said. “They’re sort of not the normal mould of what we sort of value in adults going onto to post-secondary.”
One of the key objectives of Make a Difference Maintence was to get the youth out and about in the community and help them overcome the adversity they may be facing during increased COVID-19 public health measures.
The Big Hill Haven was an add on activity for the youth to keep them working while helping them become connected to the community.
The young adults took the bottle drive project seriously, he said, and recognized the need to support Big Hill Haven.
Moores is a member of Calgary Police Services, he added, and the acts of domestic abuse he has witnessed only fuelled his passion in supporting Big Hill Haven and the families the non-profit will help.
“Women’s shelters are invaluable, especially with COVID,” Moores said. “People can be getting a little on top of each other with their households … That’s where it raises it’s head.”
Big Hill Haven was founded in 2016 and offers crisis support services to about 60,000 people living in Cochrane, Bearspaw, Springbank, Bragg Creek, Cremona, Redwood Meadows and Ghost Lake Village. The organization opened its first official haven in August 2020 to provide aid to women and children leaving abusive situations.
Moores said they are grateful to the community and their positive reaction to Make a Difference Maintenance and the support for Big Hill Haven through the bottle drive. Moores added they are thankful to the bottle depot who allowed them to use a trailer to store collections over two weeks.
“It was Christmas and we thought it would be a good idea to keep the kids busy,” Moores said. “The kids did really well.”
For more information on Big Hill Haven or to reach out for help visit bighillhaven.com.
