Saskatchewan News and Stories
Pay it forward: Aileen's hearts
- Aileen Park, an Alberta fires evacuee, is an artist. Over the last five years, she has made thousands of tiny blown-glass hearts that she gives to strangers in the hopes that they will bring a smile to someone’s face. These small Pocket Hearts are a symbol of human connection and are meant to be shared and passed along. More recently the hearts have been given to people facing hardships or as a thank you for the generosity from others around her. Her little tokens of hope and solidarity are now spread across every continent.
Friendship born out of shared passion for helping people
- There is an unlikely friendship - Alzinia Pailin is an American Red Cross volunteer from California and Marie Bernatchez is a French speaking Canadian Red Cross volunteer from Quebec. But after being paired together on a three-week deployment in the small town of Lac La Biche, south of Fort McMurray, as part of the Alberta fire response, the two women found much common ground including their work as Red Cross volunteers and quickly became friends.
Alberta fires: expressions of support and compassion from donors to evacuees
- Canadians across the country came together to support evacuated residents from Fort McMurray. To date, more than $135 million has been raised by Canadians from coast to coast to support immediate emergency assistance, re-entry needs, and long-term community rebuilding for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
Get to know Red Cross volunteers for Red Cross Month
- March Is Red Cross Month, we’re showcasing, in a two-part series, five of our many amazing volunteers who go above and beyond to help others. Volunteers are the heart of the Canadian Red Cross. More than 20,000 Red Cross volunteers share their time and skills to help others every day.
Finding support and hospitality away from home
- Gary Tinker did not know what to expect when he arrived at the Evraz shelter on July 1. He and his family had just spent nine hours on a bus ride from Pinehouse, Saskatchewan. Like the 1,500 residents from his community, he was given little time pack before leaving.
Keeping smiles on kids' faces: Red Cross volunteers entertain children at shelters for evacuated peo
- Red Cross volunteer Fabrice Vanhoutte loves putting a smile on children’s faces. So, he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve for the young people in a Saskatoon shelter.
“If I see a kid who is upset, I don’t necessarily go right up to them but I stay nearby and play my mouth organ or start showing a card trick,” says Vanhoutte.
Going home: an exciting day for evacuated people
- It’s an exciting time for some of the people evacuated by the Saskatchewan wildfires who get to return to their communities. There are plenty of smiles as they board buses on their way back home. Most have mentioned looking forward to sleeping in their own beds; others are excited to see their pets.
Far from home among friends: Red Cross volunteers come from across Canada to help in Saskatchewan
- Lynn MacLeod didn’t worry when she volunteered to fly across the country to help people affected by the Saskatchewan wildfires. She knew that she was well-prepared.
“I’m so happy for all of our Red Cross training! It means I can go anywhere in the country and know how to help,” says MacLeod, who is from Prince Edward Island.
A safe place to sleep: People evacuated during the Saskatchewan wildfires say thanks
- Selena and her son, Jade, were visiting Prince Albert when they heard people at home in Air Ronge were evacuating because wildfires and heavy smoke threatened their community.
The news meant they couldn't return home, not even for a toothbrush, Selena recalls.
Helping people separated by the Saskatchewan wildfires find each other
- Getting separated from family during the confusion of a disaster is one of the most frightening things that can happen to people. That's why the role performed during the Saskatchewan wildfires by Red Cross volunteer Barb MacLean is so important.
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