Sabrina Ali, Community Development Director
This week we had lunch then toured and heard from several people at Wellspring Cancer Support about the programs they offer in Edmonton and across Alberta. Sabrina Ali, their Community Development Director and Carla Stevens, their Strategic Partnerships Coordinator explained their programs and then gave us a tour of their facilities. Sabrina told us that in addition to the Edmonton location they have locations in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary and Red Deer and are looking to expand to Grande Prairie later this year. They said that all of their programs are free and there is no referral required to participate. Signing up is simple and easy. They also said that currently they rely on public donations for all of their funding.
Sabrina and Carla told us that they aim to give people with cancer, their caregivers and family members support that gives them a place that will cheer them on, where they can freely express their feelings and opinions, a home away from home that will help them to focus on positivity. She told us that all of their programs are evidence based, many are offered in conjunction with various research partners and the programs are led by experts in that field. They have six pillars to their programs, Therapeutic Arts, Exercise and Movement, Finance and Workplace Strategies, Self Development and Education, Individual and Group Support and Symptom Management. They offer over seventy plus programs in all. Some of their programs are targeted at specific cultural communities in Alberta. The age demographic for most of their participants is eighteen plus with most people at fifty plus, however they also offer programs geared to children and young adults. They offer many programs online, making up about sixty percent of their programs. They have found that the outcomes for the online programs are the same as for in person programs. In 2023 they helped over twenty-eight hundred individuals with cancer in one hundred and forty communities around Alberta.
Sabrina and Carla said that they have many different types of fundraising events throughout the year including stair climbs, walks, runs, pie sales and bike rides. They also accept major gifts and sponsorships. She told us that they rely on volunteers for nearly all of their programs, with only twenty-four full time staff spread across Alberta, seven of whom are in Edmonton. They are always looking for volunteers. They have all types of things volunteers can do from painting walls to landscaping to helping out with their many fundraisers. We would like to thank them for their time and look forward to being able to work with them in the future.
"The Friendly Club"
Edmonton, AB T6L 6B6
Canada