Imagine moving to a new country during a global pandemic. Already feeling the isolating effects of unfamiliar surroundings, you’re now faced with the challenge of making a new life for yourself and your family during a widespread lockdown. 

The Alexandra Community Health Centre, also known as The Alex, is a Calgary-based non-profit that aims to deliver innovative and accessible health and social solutions to vulnerable residents.
When COVID-19 was declared, The Alex, like many other organizations, searched for ways to continue providing services in a safe manner.

Transmission of COVID-19 in healthcare facilities in Saskatchewan’s most northern region has been limited thanks, in part, to a federal government funding program administered by the Canadian Red Cross. The Athabasca Health Authority has used funds distributed by the Red Cross to purchase personal protective equipment to help keep their staff and clients, healthy.

We Are Young (WAY) Association is a not-for-profit whose aim it is to grant unfulfilled wishes to seniors living in Nova Scotia. Through the granting of wishes, WAY hopes to raise social awareness about the inequalities of seniors, honour the role they play in society, and help bridge the gap between generations.
During COVID-19, where social distancing and personal protective equipment play a vital role, WAY has had to rethink its strategy of helping seniors feel valued and connected to their community.

Chapados is doing a virtual walkthrough of the COVID-19 isolation centre she’s worked to set up for members of the five Nations that make up the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council. On the other end of the line is the Canadian Red Cross. A two-person team made up of experts in emergency response and health. This is the Help Desk for Indigenous Leadership in action.
 

For Aisha Addo, the Power To Girls Foundation is a labour of love.
Addo created the Power To Girls Foundation, to empower marginalized Afro-diaspora girls in the Greater Toronto Area and abroad. Founded in 2011, this non-profit organization offers mentorship, personal development, relationship building, mental health, leadership, and entrepreneurship to young girls.

A flotilla of rafts bearing rainbow flags on the Bow River, a hotel balcony drag show and a Pride History walk and brunch… These are just some of the events that are brightening Calgary streets this summer as part of the city’s annual Pride Week. But of course, with a global pandemic in full swing, this year’s festival is looking a little different. Calgary Pride has been hard at work for months adapting much of the programming for online delivery.

For more than 20 years, the Fort McKay Wellness Center, a non-profit organization in Fort McKay, Alberta, has been helping children and youth in Indigenous communities and from low-income families. When COVID-19 became a global pandemic, the Center was forced to close its doors. Despite these challenges, they managed to keep in contact with the community through a variety of creative ways.