Drumheller’s Habitat for Humanity made a major stride Thursday, when it received two large cash donations and officially announced the location of the project.

Chinook Financial and Drumheller Rotary donated $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, to the project, which aims to construct a duplex at 102 Poplar St. in Drumheller by 2017. It will house two families.

“This really does bring us halfway along our fundraising journey,” said Drumheller chapter chair Chris Curtis at the event. 

“To be able to help two families that can become stabilized by being in these homes will be a great thing.”

Chinook Financial president Scot Hadden said the company established a partnership with Habitat for Humanity after affordable housing was identified as an issue after meeting with Mayor Terry Yemen last year.

“We asked ‘where can we make an impact’ and what came through was affordable housing. I was surprised that in a small, rural town, that it wasn’t as prominent as Calgary, where prices are so high, but it is a problem, and throughout the rest of Alberta, too,” said Hadden.

Albert Clark donated the land on Poplar Street to the Drumheller Habitat for Humanity branch.

Drumheller was one of the smallest centres to be picked for a Habitat project and the donation of land was incentive for its selection.

Rotary Club president Doug Stanford said the club donated because its there to support the people.

“It’s important because there’s people here that need the housing really bad. Rotary is here for the people.”

Along with the cheque presentations, a partnership with St. Anthony’s school was also announced, which will see students volunteer with construction.

“The project is everything our school represents,” said St. Anthony’s principal and Habitat board member JoAnne Akerboom, adding students will earn volunteer hours and potentially CTS credits with the project.

The total estimated cost of the project is $500,000. The Drumheller branch is responsible for half, with the other half to be matched by Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta, based in Calgary. Volunteer hours will also be matched, with wage dollars being donated toward the total cost.

The duplex was initially projected for completion in 2018, but chapter chair Curtis believes the support for the project has bumped it into 2017. 

Fundraisers are planned over the summer which will be announced soon.

Habitat for Humanity Drumheller and District was formed in April 2016.

Drumheller’s  Senior’s Coordinator, Rose Poulson is ready for Senior’s Week, June 6-12. The Mail sat down with Rose to find out more about her job, Drumheller’s senior community and why she loves her job.

How did you come to be the senior’s coordinator for Drumheller?

I have been here for almost 5 years. I moved away but came back to this area and we have been here for 10 years since then. I really enjoy working with seniors. I have been very lucky to meet some wonderful people in that capacity. I am happy to serve the seniors of the community. 

What does a senior’s coordinator do? 

I help older adults apply for senior type benefits like Canada pension plan, old age security, and the Alberta seniors benefits. I help them access different kinds of subsidies, I can advocate for other issues they have. I organize programs for seniors. I am very busy. It is a very long list of things.

Is your job mandated by the town? 

I work for the Town of Drumheller through the Family Community Support Services. I don’t work right at Town Hall. I am really lucky to have an office here at the library. I find it is a convenient spot to organize things for our seniors. Although a lot of the programs I help seniors with are federal and provincial.  

Why do you think there is a need for a senior’s coordinator? 

There is a big need for senior’s coordinators because we have an aging population and a very large number of seniors in our community. I also find there are a lot of seniors who need assistance in programs and services for seniors, and in funding especially. There is an increasing need for financial assistance for seniors these days. 

What motivates you to come into work every day? What is your driving force? 

You know, it is very rewarding to be able to help seniors and to know that at the end of the day I have helped. So that’s probably what gets me up and going every day, being able to know that what I am doing is helping others. 

Is there anything you find difficult about your job? 

Some of the things that make me most sad and absolutely breaks my heart, is seeing seniors struggle. I often see them struggle financially. Unfortunately, I am not a funding agency, so I can only point them in the right direction. I do not have funds to help seniors even though I really wish I did. That is one of the hardest part of my job - having to see seniors struggle. I also see seniors who are lonely and really need socialization. It’s really hard to see and I wish I could reach out to all of them. But that is the toughest part. It is really hard for seniors to make it on a fixed income right now. It seems to be getting worse, things seem to be getting more expensive and tougher on seniors to make things work. 

What would you say is one of the biggest problems for seniors in Drumheller? 

I think a big thing in Drumheller is transportation or the cost there of, to get to other communities for things like doctors appointments. There are services available, but they are quite expensive, and there are services available from the province to help with that but it often isn’t enough. For a lot of seniors who have many health related issues, they have to go and see someone. A lot of the time it is not once or twice they have to see someone but many times and it is a huge financial burden for them. So that is one disadvantage for seniors in a smaller community. Transportation. 

Have you seen positive things happening for, or to, seniors since you started your position here? 

I’d like to think so. I am so lucky to work with some great people who are seniors. There are some wonderful things going on in our community for seniors. And not just myself but from other people and places in the community. It is great to see seniors come out and enjoy these activities. 

Are there are a lot of seniors who do come out to these activities, instead of just staying home? 

They do try and come out. It is sometimes hard to get them out but we have a very active seniors community. There are lots and lots of things going on. I plan things such as a free art class for seniors and a free computer class for seniors, but there are also tons of people in the community who also put on events for seniors. Between Sunshine Lodge, Hillview Lodge, Pioneer Trail, and continuing care, they do so much for the seniors in their care and they always have activities going on. How great is that? It’s awesome. We have a very active group of seniors in our community.

Do you have any favourite memories from working here or anything that has really stuck out for you since you started working here? 

Probably the thing I am most honoured to be a part of was being able to host the Grey Matters conference, which is for provincial seniors service providers, here at the Badlands Community Facility last fall. We had over 150 delegates come to participate in the conference. It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my whole life. To be a part of that was just outstanding. We had some amazing people who were part of a committee to make it all happen. I was very honoured to be a part of it. I have also made very good friends, my seniors are not only my clients they are more like my friends. We have done so many things in the past years, it’s amazing to look back on all of them.