'Humanitarian' gifts free facelift to Regina's North Central Family Centre
Executive director says project would have been impossible for organization to fund
Tuesday's unsettled sky promised rain, but that didn't deter a construction crew from restoring the community hub on Fifth Avenue in Regina.
Construction workers from Regina Soffit & Eaves set up shop outside the North Central Family Centre. They hustled between the wall and the workbench, which was standing between the basketball nets, to install row upon row of new siding panels.
Company owner Kurt Douglas looked on as they worked — for free.
Douglas met Sandy Wankel, the executive director and co-founder of the North Central Family Centre, a few months ago. He dropped into the centre to find out what it was about.
The pair started talking about past renovations, then they stepped outside to look at the building. Douglas realized it was time for a facelift.
Kurt just happened. It was just a gift from God that he came into my office.- Sandy Wankel, executive director, North Central Family Centre
"It was old. It was original stuff on there, so it was starting to wear and tear," he said. "I decided — you know what — it's obvious that her and her team could use some work."
He talked to his distributors, staff and managers, who made themselves available without hesitation, he said.
Wankel didn't hear from Douglas for days after their first encounter, until one of his staff popped by her office last week to propose the offer of new siding — free of charge.
"Kurt just happened. It was just a gift from God that he came into my office," Wankel said. "He saw the need there, and just like a wonderful humanitarian just came to our need."
The North Central Family Centre is a non-profit, and Wankel doesn't think these renovations would have been possible on their own dime.
It not only beautifies the community, but it gives the kids a real sense of pride.- Sandy Wankel, executive director, North Central Family Centre
Funding within the non-profit agency is allocated for projects and programs, "so there's not a lot of extra money for maintenance and a lot of the extra things you really do need to do to keep the agency running," said Wankel.
She said the benefits go beyond financial and aesthetic aid, because the centre is like a home for the youth in the area.
"It not only beautifies the community, but it gives the kids a real sense of pride."
Wankel said this collaboration has started relationships, which make all the difference in the kids' lives. She described how some of the construction workers have been hanging out with the centre's young participants and are eager to mentor them in some way.
Douglas said it feels good on a personal level to support the centre, but added he didn't do it to make himself feel better.
"It's nice to give back and she's [Wankel's] doing the exact same thing just in different ways," Douglas said.
He added Regina Soffit & Eaves began as a small company that received a lot of community support to help it grow, so now he wants to support others.
