airdrielife winter 2014

winter 2014/2015

rallying

around

RUGBY

one

What you

dinna ken

about Airdrie’s bagpipe scene

BRAVE

little Girl

airdrie’s

PRIDE community

The “V”

WORD

yes, we talk about it in this issue

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Contributors Winter 2014-15

Who do you consider a hero in your life?

Lori Kuffner, Writer After 23 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, David Milgaard has become an advocate for the wrongly convicted. He also gives back to the community in different ways.

After working with David, seeing his care and concern for others makes me realize we can all maintain humanity in the face of great challenges.

Group Publisher Sherry Shaw-Froggatt

EDITOR

Copy EDITOR

DESIGN MANAGER

Anne Beaty Vanessa Peterelli Kim Williams

CONTRIBUTORS

Anne Beaty, Sergei Belski, Jennifer Brigden, Michelle Carre, Alex Frazer-Harrison, Rob Jamieson, Ellen Kelly, Kurtis Kristianson, Lori Kuffner Jeff MacKinnon, Tina McMillan, Carl Patzel, Vanessa Peterelli, Kristy Reimer, Kent Rupert, Sherry Shaw-Froggatt, Lisa Silva, Jaimee Slifka-Butalia ADVERTISING SALES Sherry Shaw-Froggatt

PRINTING Print West Distribution manager

John Pirzek

Contact Us

Editorial anne@frogmediainc.ca

Advertising sherry@frogmediainc.ca

Kristy Reimer, Photographer My husband is my compass when I’ve lost my sense of direction. He remembers where we parked the car when I have no clue.

He is my memory, my mushroom eater, my tech support, my gear researcher and my personal car oil changer!

Needless to say, my hero!

Where to find us

airdrielife is delivered to all homes in Airdrie and surrounding areas. If you do not receive an issue please contact sherry@frogmediainc.ca airdrielife is also available at more than 50 locations around the city. You can also find airdrielife in every showhome in the city and at more than 100 locations in Calgary. airdrielife is published quarterly by Frog Media Inc. with the co-operation of the City of Airdrie Economic Development Department.

VOLUME 11, NUMBER 4

Jaimee Slifka-Butalia, Stylist and personal shopper My hero is hands-down my grandmother, Dolena. She raised five children all on her own with very little money and managed to be best friends with her 13 grandchildren.

She passed away in 2005. I will forever admire her spirit and lust for life!

ISSN 1916-355X

Contents copyright 2014-15 by Frog Media Inc. May not be reproduced without permission. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement, and all representations of warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not of the publisher.

Editorial Policy

airdrielife editorial is not for sale. Editorial is completely independent from advertising, and no special editorial consideration or commitment of any kind can form any part of the advertising agreement. All editorial inquiries must be directed toward the editor. A copy of Frog Media Inc. Writers’ Guidelines can be downloaded from the editorial page on our website. airdrielife does not accept unsolicited submissions. Freelance writers and photographers interested in assignments are asked to send an inquiry, with samples from at least three published magazine articles, to editorial@airdrielife.com airdrielife is produced from well-managed forests, printed with canola-based inks, and is 100% recyclable.

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| winter 2014/2015

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editor’s note E

ach year as we put together our winter issue that highlights heroes in the community, I enjoy the opportunity to think back on people who have made a difference in my life, in my community and around the globe.

Oftentimes, we hear about the people who are known worldwide for their selfless work helping others – think Mother Theresa – or whose perseverance and determination changed a nation – Martin Luther King, Jr. comes to mind – or whose deeds uplifted an entire generation – for me, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin fit the bill. Those who put their lives on the line in the call of duty – members of the military, police, firefighters and more – are unquestionably heroes, too.

However, there are many, many people who work quietly in the background, doing their part to make the world a better place. You may never see their faces or know their names; you may never even know how they are enriching their community and, to a broader extent, society. But they are there, and their presence can be felt.

Here in Airdrie, we are blessed with countless heroes – community members without whom our city wouldn’t be such a welcoming place. The number of volunteers in Airdrie is amazing, especially considering how busy we all seem to be with regular life. These volunteers freely give their time and energy to help others in various ways, from providing ‘mobile meals’ to mentoring students, from answering help lines to coaching a youth sports team, from helping immigrants with their English to helping build a home for a family in need.

Just look around and you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that volunteering is simply a way of life in this city.

Also on my ‘heroes’ list are those people who make Airdrie more beautiful through the arts – musicians, writers, artists, actors and playwrights. Their passion can be seen all around the city, and without their contributions, we would be so much the poorer.

My list also includes the average, everyday folks who shovel their neighbour’s sidewalk, who smile at and thank the grocery store cashier, who hold open the door, who wait patiently in line without making snide remarks about how slow the service is (yes, I am one of those who has made snide remarks, but I really do try not to be so snarky).

We can never profile all these people, but we do our best to introduce at least some of them to airdrielife readers. Their stories make us smile, laugh, cry. The fact that they are part of our community makes us proud.

Anne Beaty, EDITOR

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24

OnMusician theKevinCover Fraser learned his craft as a young lad.

PHOTO BY KRISTY REIMER

Columns & regular features 38 events 48 healthylife 50 reallife with rob Jamieson 52 parentlife with Vanessa peterelli 78 lifetimes with ellen Kelly 90 Gardenlife with lisa silva 92 lifestyles with tina McMillan 94 lifebuild with Michelle carre 98 businesslife with Kent rupert 110 last look

33

18 life in the moment

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| winter 2014/2015

18

expressionism – nature inspires artist

22

overnight sensation – slaM winner pursues her passion

24

pipe Dreams – Musician winds up

26

Global awareness – V-movement gains local momentum

30

‘standing’ ovation – artwork graces theatre

32

playtime – festival showcases creativity

34

My thai – new restaurant has charm

36

foodie’s paradise – italian trip delights

44

new you – Makeover winner has a blast

54

season’s Greetings – community appreciates support

74

64 life in the community

life at home

80

60

citylife – where your tax dollars go

80

creative challenge – total reno wows

62

heart & home – toddler’s life is a gift

82

Guaranteed – custom builder makes it right

64

china-bound – family extends helping hands

84

from the Ground up – Developer creates community

66

cultural mosaic – local woman remembers roots

86

happy Memories – neighbourhood is longtime home

68

loud & proud – society promotes acceptance

88

hillside retreat – homes offer luxury, comfort

70

life of service – airdrie cadets earns kudos

72

thunderation! – hockey team hits the ice

74

hard-hitting – sport proves popular

76

par excellence – young golfer makes his mark

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life at work 100

community-Minded – local businesses give back

104

wrapping up – sMartstart program is a hit

106

award-winners – business and leaders are honoured

1

2

moment life in the 30 hands-on

18 brilliance 32 action!

life in the

moment

arTisT profile

The

PASSIONATE story by ellen Kelly | photos by serGei belsKi

PAINTER

artist bev Kelly poses by the local fortisalberta utility box that showcases her art.

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| winter 2014/2015

through art, y can express themselves the t tha lize rea to y] bod “My goal is for [every out their art material. It and line and how they lay pe sha and e tur tex and and teacher. through colour v Kelly, artist, art therapist Be s say ” ist, art an be to is possible for everyone toon and then Calgary, 2012 after living in Saska in drie Air to ved mo o Kelly, wh od Earth Café. artists critique group, at Go ual vis a ht, Nig s ist’ Art was delighted to find says. “Airdrie fosters warm and welcoming,” she so we y the and f sel my “I introduced y.” the arts in an incredible wa re born and she nurtured ore her eight children we bef ist art an s wa r the le painting.

Kelly’s mo s about seven, I did this litt wa I hen “W ity. ativ cre in them a love of art and back to the spontaneity e always been trying to go I’v like l fee I and it nd fou ions, just paintYears later I ldlike approach, no inhibit chi sh fre the – ce pie rst that came with that fi ” says Kelly.

Her mother ing for the joy of painting, nt and artistic appreciation. tale h wit ued imb s wa life The artist’s early her grandmother and a e arts, theatre and music; ativ cre for on iati rec app an encouraged Kelly says. c. “We were all musical,” isti art y ver re we t aun at gre courses followed by many Kelly took some university s, 20 ly ear her in s wa When she er quite met with realistic paintings that nev ed duc pro she ere wh s, classes and workshop children were young, then home for 13 years while her her in art ght tau e Sh al. in 2008 with a her approv as her children), graduating e tim e sam the (at sity went back to univer ics. While she didn’t have fine arts and home econom in jors ma and ion cat edu helped form her degree in rs, the process of teaching yea se tho ing dur art n ow a lot of time for her ative efforts. e to get back to her own cre abl s wa she en wh s ces rotary Ambasartistic pro 07 Kelly was awarded the 20 in , nce erie exp sity ver iAs part of her uni m School of Art at the un red her to study at the Ela nso spo ich wh ip, rsh ke ola ma sadorial Sch says Kelly. “It forced me to s a conceptual art school,” versity of Auckland. “It wa le with. However it helped to what I was comfortab y wa n eig for tely ple com . It informed my art in a n from all levels and angles atio orm inf in t ugh bro it me to be freer and y.” realism but also practice in an amazing wa paints with an element of now and d ine stra con s She became les way to bring beauty to the nt of abstraction. “Art is a me ele tic rge ene and with a new world,” she says. oys mixed media, using some oils and currently enj and s ylic acr h wit rks wo Kelly ff up,” she says. ditional tools. “I make stu -tra non as ll we as ials ter non-traditional ma “My studio is my lab.”

life in the

moment

arTisT profile

Inspiration comes from nature and paintings often include suggestions of water and trees. She admires the bold, spontaneous art of Amy Dryer and aspires to create in that manner.

Her passion for art therapy led to her involvement with children with juvenile arthritis and a recent project sponsored by the McCaig Institute and Telus Spark, aimed at creating awareness that arthritis can affect anyone. “Art therapy gives purpose to my art, so art is no longer just esthetic,” says Kelly.

Good Earth has displayed her paintings twice, and her art has been exhibited through partnerships in Business.

Her paintings currently adorn a bus pass, a FortisAlberta utility box and a street banner on First Avenue, and she exhibits at the Airdrie Home and Garden Show. Kelly is also a member of ArTS and the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) and her art has been juried in shows sponsored by the FCA. She may draw on her creative energy year round, but Kelly’s time as an artist is limited to summer. “I am a full-time teacher and that is my priority 10 months of the year,” she says.

Art enters her Grade 3 classroom in many ways, though, as she works with a culturally diverse population. “Art transcends barriers,” she says.

Kelly’s talent has been passed on to her grown children. Her son, Jonathan Kelly, believes his art background, working from 2D to 3D and colour depth, has made him a better surgeon. Her daughter, Janelle Bailey Scrimgeour, who is also her mother’s web, business and resource consultant, is an interior decorator. And her husband, Steve, is her rock and her “souvenir” from New Zealand. life beV Kelly’s art Can be seen at bevkellyfineart.com

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winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

21

life in the

moment

singer

Grand SLAM i performance story and Photo By Kurtis Kristianson

eDiTor’s NoTe: airdrielife is proud to sponsor the original slAM on Air songwriting Competition. part of our sponsorship is showcasing the winner and we are very pleased to introduce to you Jennifer Dueck.

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f it seems that Jennifer Dueck just appeared out of nowhere and took home the grand prize of the slAM on Air this last september it’s because that is pretty much exactly how it happened. in fact there isn’t much history at all for Dueck at the moment, but if she has her way that will soon change.

As with most creative people who are turning their passions from hobby to a regular thing, Dueck has a day job that keeps things normal and pays the bills. When she was in her 20s, the idea of a stable career seemed to be shadowed from time to time by a desire to write and perform, especially with so many of her friends busy in the arts themselves. Dueck kept her passion for music fresh by performing from time to time, but now, at the start of her 30s, she has decided to step out and see where her talent takes her.

The 2014 original slAM on Air contest (the slAM organization in Airdrie was formed to support local musicians) took place over the summer and awarded $4,000 in prizes for the winning entry of an original written-and-performed music piece.

As she recalls, Dueck had just been scanning the web for local contests to push herself to the challenge, so she joined slAM and made her own entry after just a few days and a weekend of writing. “it’s nice to know there’s support for musicians,” she says, “and we can perform and just be part of a community.”

Dueck grew up studying piano and by high school was involved in choir and vocal jazz, performing in all kinds of musical events as often as she could. Although classically trained and a fan of pop, these days the musician prefers to write and perform a kind of r&b or lounge-style sound with her own piano accompaniment. When asked if she intends to sound like some of the more influential singers out there, she says, “i really do love all that music, but i am not that; i don’t picture myself like that.”

With inspiration for her songs coming from any kind of deep emotional experience (good or bad) and a taste for many genres of music, it would seem that Dueck has the tools to create something different. And obviously slAM agrees.

Now that she has tested the water – or just jumped right in – and enjoyed some real success, Dueck knows it’s time to stop holding back. she intends to start writing more and possibly produce an album while performing when the opportunity is right.

Although her recent win has created some momentum, the artist still values her privacy and her family time. “i want the balance of freedom and privacy, and still being a performer,” she says.

For Dueck it’s not so much about being successful as it is about allowing herself to be creative, even when it does happen almost overnight. And if she can be free to be herself while writing and performing, then that is enough. life

life in the

moment

musician profile

“Taking your hobby and making it

into your job is pretty nice.�

Paying the 24 airdrielife.com

Piper

| winter 2014/2015

Bagpiper Kevin Fraser plays with passion story by Jeff MacKinnon | photo by Kristy Reimer

K

evin Fraser does his best to accommodate requests. When he’s asked to play at a funeral he knows there’s a good chance Amazing Grace is coming. That’s an easy one. Earlier this year, though, a couple planning their nuptials threw him a curveball and asked for the annoyingly catchy tune Call Me Maybe.

Not a problem if you’re a singer, but Fraser is not.

He makes his music pushing air out of a leather bag.

He’s a bagpiper.

However, they wanted Call Me Maybe so they got Call Me Maybe. Fraser set to work learning the tune.

“The problem with rock or pop tunes is they want to hear the singer’s part. They have a pause so it’s ‘sing, sing, sing, pause. Sing, sing, sing, pause.’ Well, the pipes don’t have a pause function. We can’t just turn it off and hold it for 30 seconds during the guitar solo,” he says.“We’ll see what it turns out to be.”

Fraser has been a piper for 30 years now, 23 of which he’s spent doing it professionally. A native of Medicine Hat, he now lives in Airdrie where he teaches the instrument and is also paid to make appearances at weddings, funerals, and family and corporate events. He’s also the leader of a new pipe band, the Airdrie Scots.

Although he says she denies it, Fraser says that he was essentially told at the age of 10 by his mother, Linda, that he was going to learn to play the instrument to save the family a bit of money.

“I remember her coming down the stairs one day with the newspaper in hand saying it was too expensive for her to keep buying dancing records for my two sisters to go to Highland dancing and therefore I had to go learn how to play the pipes so I could pipe for them,” he says.“That’s what I remember.”

So off he went to lessons.

The student became an instructor in 1991 when Fraser started teaching cadets in Victoria, B.C., at

Royal Roads Military College, which no longer exists.

That was roughly the same time he began making professional appearances.

“Taking your hobby and making it into your job is pretty nice,” he says.

Fraser has about 10 students as of fall 2014, most of whom are adults who take lessons in the evenings after work. He is open to morning and daytime lessons also if shift workers want to play. A basic set of pipes – which is what Fraser uses – runs about $1,200.

While he’s a big mountain of a man, Fraser says that the bagpipes don’t discriminate and that smaller people can also play. One of his current students is eight years old and simply requires a smaller bag to allow for his smaller arm.

“It takes a bit of lung strength because you are blowing four reeds, but you don’t start on the bagpipes, you start on a practice chanter,” he says. “You learn the basics on that because you are only blowing one easy reed and you don’t have to worry about keeping the bag full of air and keeping the pressure going.”

Fraser and some of his students plus several other pipers – totalling about 22 people – have joined together to form the Airdrie Scots pipe band, which was created the week of the 2014 Alberta Summer Games specifically to march in the opening ceremonies. Among the band members are a mother(drums) and-son (pipes) duo from Sundre.

The Airdrie Scots practised outside at Fraser’s house during the summer, giving his neighbourhood a different kind of ‘garage band.’

“We’re getting neighbours coming over with requests,” Fraser says. “We’d have people from a blockand-a-half away come over and say, ‘I heard you playing so I came over to listen.’

“I try to play toe-tapping stuff so if you don’t like the pipes, it still may be OK,” he adds. life

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

25

moment

empowering

Photo courtesy Dawn Smith, Airdrie Echo

life in the

The V-word

by Ellen Kelly

Event raises awareness, funds

O

n Feb. 22, 2015, the Airdrie chapter of the V-Day movement will present Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, The Vagina Monologues, at Bert Church Theatre.

V-Day is a global activist movement/fundraising campaign intended to increase awareness and end violence against women and girls. Wherever The Vagina Monologues is held, 10 per cent of funds raised go toward the global V-Day movement and the other 90 per cent stays in the community. Funds are raised through the sale of merchandise and sponsorship but mainly from ticket sales to the play. In 2014, Airdrie’s Community Links benefitted to the tune of $6,857.60.

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| winter 2014/2015

Smile More.

New patients welcome.

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winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

27

life in the

moment

empowering

Photo courtesy Mitchell George, Kulture Shake

Airdrie V-Day organizer Karen MacDonald is pleased at the positive response to the inaugural event in February 2014.

This special benefit performance is part of V-Day’s campaign, One Billion Rising Revolution, a global initiative that encourages women survivors of violence to demand an end to violence, emphasizing equality, dignity and freedom for all women and girls.

Airdrie’s Karen MacDonald, CEO of Three D Coaching, organizes the local event and welcomes anyone interested in taking part in the play or helping with production. “We are looking for 30 ladies,” says MacDonald,“and no acting experience is necessary. You don’t have to memorize; you are reading off cue cards.”

The play is Ensler’s condensed interpretation of 200 interviews with women from around the world and can be performed with as few as four women.“We choose to do it with 30 women because it’s more empowering and more comfortable for the women. They empower each other,” says MacDonald.

It helps to be comfortable speaking in public, but she emphasizes that it is fun and very relaxed. Some parts of the play are sensitive.

“You are put into a position and if you’re not comfortable, we juggle it,” says MacDonald.

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Many participants become involved as a way to make friends, have fun and try something new, but others have backgrounds of abuse or are coming to support a friend who has. The play is funny, poignant and heart-wrenching – definitely an eye-opener.

“If you’re a bit prudish,” says MacDonald, “it’s probably not the show you want to go to, but it’s the message that’s important.

“And it’s not just about women,” she adds. “Men are a part of it – fathers, husbands, brothers – it’s in support of women.”

Tickets will be available before Christmas on the Three D Coaching website and through Bert Church Theatre. Proceeds for this performance will be shared between Community Links and Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society.

Auditions are set to be held in the latter part of November. life

For more information contact Karen MacDonald at 403-453-0951 or vdayairdrietvm@gmail.com, or visit threedcoaching.com/vday2015

It’s our 12th annual Toy Drive for the Alberta Children’s Hospital

We want to thank the community for your continued support with our Toy Drive for the kids at the Children’s Hospital. If you are able to donate a new unopened toy, game, book or puzzle, we will be collecting for infant to 17 year old boys and girls from now until December 18th. We will also be accepting cash donations, which we will use to buy toys and games just before we make our delivery to the hospital the week before Christmas. Please help make Christmas ‘Special’ for those little ones that are at the Hospital over the holidays.

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29

life in the

Applauding moment

TheaTrical

The arTs story anD photos by Kurtis Kristianson

sculpTure now graces TheaTre artist James C. smith puts the finishing touches on his work.

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| winter 2014/2015

P

eople can’t help but feel as if they have made an entrance, as 16 pairs of white-gloved applauding hands now welcome visitors to Bert Church Theatre in Airdrie.

The art installation, originally driven by the community and only facilitated by the City, was created by Ontario artist James C. Smith.

Smith’s preferred medium is in sculpture and he has been creating his pieces since the mid ’80s. His work has come to be well-recognized, with many of his large outdoor public commissions found throughout North America. Now his work is gracing Airdrie, with applauding hands a perfect fit for the theatre.

“It’s a celebratory gesture to applaud and I thought that would be the perfect image – it’s like a row of audience members,” says the artist.“It’s very welcoming.”

The hands are made from a type of urethane called EpoxAmite and include fibreglass, foam and metal structure as support and mounting to the wall. The project took three months and a lot of long 12-hour days to complete, as it was important for it to be finished for the city’s ARTember celebrations. The final installation was done over four days in mid-September, during which Smith and his wife, Susan, spent full days on man-lifts and scaffolds, covered in dust, to

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make sure everything was done exactly how they envisioned it.

Airdrie has come to be known as somewhat of an art-centric community, which Smith sees as a real positive. According to the artist, many communities are clueing in to the many benefits of art in terms of quality of life, economics and even employment.

When it comes to art, Airdrie ‘gets it’, he says, and recognizes art as an important facet of life here.

“It’s self-fulfilling, because when people come to visit (Airdrie) they will say to themselves, ‘This is a very hot artsy community – we want to come here and practise art here, or appreciate art here.’ It can work out very well for a community,” Smith says. life

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www.woodsidgegc.com 403.686.GOLF (4653) winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

31

life in the

moment

Theatre

A Festival for Players

by Ellen Kelly

O

n Jan. 10, 2015, the Airdrie Original One Act Play Festival returns to Bert Church Theatre for its third year. The festival, sponsored by Nose Creek Players and produced by Kim Cheel, welcomes playwrights from Airdrie, Calgary and beyond to enter their plays, then direct, cast and perform them for a live audience and a team of adjudicators.

The rules are simple – the plays must have no inflammatory content and be between 10 and 60 minutes long. The entry fee is $25 ($15 for students) and allows multiple submissions. The application form (online at nosecreekplayers.com) requires the name of the individual/group submitting and details about the play for the playbill, and lets organizers know if audience warnings are necessary. Nose Creek Players help where they can.

“We can give people actor contacts,” says Cheel. “It’s hard enough to write a play, finish it and get it staged. We don’t want a minor thing to keep them from succeeding.”

The festival has included up to eight plays and while technical rehearsals are done the morning of the event, workshops are held for young writers aged seven and up, many of whom are drama students. During the workshop, an adjudicator guides them through the process so that they can come up with a one-

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act play. In 2014, the workshops accommodated approximately 15 students.

“What we are doing at its heart is Fringe,” says Cheel. “Fringe brings original plays to be produced for the first time.”

The festival develops innovation and originality in the arts, encourages local playwrights and is another great example of how Airdrie supports the arts.

“People (sometimes) have a hard time appreciating original work because they think they won’t be able to understand it,” Cheel says,“but don’t be scared to come and see an original piece.

“Just because we’re not famous doesn’t mean it’s not going to be top-notch,” she adds.

Adjudicators representing film, acting and playwriting give supportive feedback, which helps the playwrights grow as artists/ writers. A plaque is presented to the winner and last year, registration to the Alberta Playwrights Network Boot Camp was awarded, as well.“We hope to continue doing that,” says Cheel.

The festival is run by volunteers and extra hands are always appreciated, both on the day of the event and leading up to it. life For more information Volunteers or anyone interested in Nose Creek Players are welcome and can contact the theatre troupe through the website. Tickets are available online at nosecreekplayers.com and at the door.

presents

Airdrie

MAYOR’S

NIGHT

Arts of the

Join Mayor Peter Brown for an evening of celebration and recognition for the arts in Airdrie Special performances by Airdrie’s most talented musicians, singers, dancers and actors With special guest CBC’s Tim Tamishiro Visual Arts Display Gourmet Reception January 31, 7pm Bert Church Live Theatre Tickets available online at bertchurchlivetheatre.ticketpro.ca

Title Sponsor TD Bank Award Sponsors Vitreous Glass Hopewell Communities Qualico Communities AMNA Partners Creative Airdrie SLAM in Airdrie Airdrie Regional Arts Society Nose Creek Players Airdrie Rotary Festival of Performing Arts Nose Creek Players Airdrie Public Library

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

33

life in the

moment

fine food

Kullanit nya is pleased to be able to offer authentic and aromatic thai cuisine.

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A taste of Thai

U

story and photos by Carl Patzel

sing authentic, natural ingredients and a wealth of traditional recipes, Kullanit Nya is bringing a taste of Thailand to Airdrie.

Thai Charm Eatery is situated in a quaint, pleasant setting in Bayside Village, and owner Nya brings more than a decade of experience to the local culinary scene.

With no Thai restaurants in Airdrie, and having a long history of family involvement in Calgary restaurants, Nya saw an opportunity to expand local taste buds with genuine, longestablished flavours from her home country.

“We want to keep things very authentic, what exactly is being served in Thailand. We try the hardest to bring all the ingredients as fresh as we [can],” says Nya, who, along with her sister, helped manage Calgary restaurants Thai Nongkhai and De Thai.

Thai Charm Eatery, which opened in September, hosts a menu that traverses the palate of Thailand by offering the diverse, distinctive delicacies found throughout the north, south and coastal regions of the Southeast Asian country.

“This menu is more mixed. We have yellow curry from the north, room-temperature salad from the northeast of Thailand. We have some curry from the south, as well, but most of the (menu) is a mix that is served in the middle of Thailand,” Nya says.

Alongside head chef Steve Thibodeau, who worked in Calgary and trained in Thailand, Nya has incorporated genuine ingredients and flavours to their menu with the use of a pantry full of spices and fresh herbs.

Intended to stimulate and excite the five senses, Thai cuisine incorporates sour, hot, sweet, salty and neutral, and is designed around a balance of textures and flavours.

From traditional curries to the popular pad Thai noodle dishes, Thai Charm Eatery blends fresh ingredients using galangal, lemon grass, chili pepper, kaffir lime leaf and a multitude of other established Asian spices and flavour profiles.

“Our sauces are homemade with our family recipes that use only fresh herbs and spices imported from Thailand, which makes the food very authentic and aromatic,” Nya says.

“We have tasty, healthy food and everything is homemade. The curry paste and Thai sauce is all made here.

We don’t buy sauce from a jar; everything is homemade in the house.”

Curries are presented in three colours – green, red and yellow – and can be had with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp and seafood or as a vegetarian dish. Stir-fries include a diverse mixture of lemon grass, basil, peanut sauce, sweet and sour, ginger and a ‘drunken’ house-roasted hot-chili-paste fry.

Combination meals are also available for two or more diners with a variety of spring rolls, spicy-and-sour soups with herbal coconut, an assortment of vegetables, Pad Thai shrimp and beef satay.

The chef ’s favourites include light-battered crispy candy chicken, crying tiger tender grilled beef and spicy shrimp, just to name a few.

Depending on the amount of peppers in the dish, offered on a one-to-three ratio, diners can experience sensations ranging from a mild heat to a tongue-tingling spicy temperature guaranteed to wake up any palate.

“We basically make the food in the middle range [of heat],” Nya says.“The customers can order whatever they prefer, hotter or milder, and we can customize all this.”

Satisfying appetites doesn’t mean compromising a healthy lifestyle at the Yankee Valley Boulevard restaurant.

The gastronomic location offers several options, including dairy-free dishes and gluten-free products for the health conscious. As well, dishes are combined with a light jasmine or coconut rice.

“Thai food is very, very healthy. In red curry we use four or five different spices,” Nya adds. “We use very low sodium and customers can order food gluten-free and MSG-free.” life

“Our sauces are homemade with our family recipes.”

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

35

life in the

moment

travel

The

Culinary Vacation I story by Sherry Shaw-Froggatt | Photos by Sherry Shaw-Froggatt & Jan Henderson

f one of the best parts of a vacation is the food, then a vacation that revolves around cooking has to be a good time. That was my philosophy when planning my birthday trip to Italy. I love to cook Italian food, I love to eat Italian food (and I think I was Italian in a previous life), so my web search landed me on the perfect solution: Culture Discovery Vacations, a small travel company that deals exclusively with Italy.“Wine, Cooking, Truffles & Chocolate: A Foodie’s Paradise in Umbria” it said on the website. They had me at“Buon giorno.”

I knew we were in the most capable hands when my seven travelling companions and I met our guide at the Rome airport. The lovely, whipsmart, nurturing and savvy Sophie Townsend – a bona fide foodie herself and proud Italian – was our guide for seven days. She shared with us the lore of the region, as well as her knowledge of history and current events. Sophie was the perfect hostess to people exploring her country for the first time, taking our requests for gelato seriously.“Not here; I have a MUCH better place….”

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Culture Discover Vacations prides itself on providing an intimate experience where you are welcomed into the homes and businesses of locals who genuinely want to share their culture. Your group is not a“tour group” but a group of friends, and every outing is designed to enhance and embrace the feeling of being part of your own little family.

Our home was a 16th century palazzo in the heart of Norcia’s medieval quarter, which had been converted into a beautiful Relais & Chateaux resort, the Palazzo Seneca.

Our lead cooking instructor, Emanuele, was a five-star Michelin-rated chef who now presides over the Palazzo Seneca.

We accomplished so much in a week that my head spins remembering it all. We cooked, we toured, we tasted, we explored, we discovered.

Norcia, Assisi, Perugia, Spoleto, Montefalco, Campello sul Clitunno….

We hunted for truffles, walked with wild Cinturino boars, pressed ricotta, tempered chocolate (and then licked our fingers till we were chocolate-drunk), gulped olive oil straight from the vat, tasted wines, mas-

saged yeast into flour to make mouthwatering pizza, and nibbled pecorinos and salumis until we could burst. We discovered medieval castles and monasteries, walked across volcanic fields, climbed cobblestone staircases and explored a buried village. We laughed. A lot. We drank copious amounts of vino rosso and laughed some more. The song Happy was prevalent on the radio and we created our own music video, adding footage at every destination. We dined in great restaurants in the evening but one of the highlights had to be the grigliata – the Italian barbecue held in the backyard of the locals connected with the hotel (the local pig farmers and their friends and families). We were treated like old friends and had a blast stuffing our faces with bite after bite of succulent barbecued pancetta, sausages, ribs, skewers and pretty much any form of pork and lamb, all with laughter and music and, despite the language barrier, many intense conversations!

I made two dear friends from Australia with whom I hope to travel again. We formed the Red Wine Sisterhood. We are bonded for life.

I learned to swear in Italian, crush garlic with my hands, kiss everyone twice on the cheek and that it was okay to drink wine at 9 a.m. on a grassy hillside while eating fresh Cinturino salumi. I will go back; Italy has stolen my soul and my heart. life

Recipe For Disaster?

Hepatitis A areare spread Hepatitis A and andTyphoid TyphoidFever Fever spread by contaminated food and water. For more by contaminated food and water. For more information, consult an expert in travel health information, consult an expert in travel before leaving on your trip. health before leaving on your trip. polaristravelclinic.ca | 403-980-TRIP (8747) | Airdrie’s travel health clinic

What I learned to cook: Chianina Beef & Vinaigrette Vegetable Salad ricotta ravioli with Butter & Sage Sauce Local Sausage & romano Cheese Country Tart Hot Chocolate Mini Cru pizza Farro Salad with prawns & Salted ricotta Cheese Tagliatelle pasta with Truffle & Mushroom Sauce Fruit-Crusted Turkey Spiedini Spelt & pear Cake with Sagrantino Wine Sauce Chocolates Herb-Crusted Trout Fillets Castelluccio Lentil Soup umbrian porchetta Crème Brûleé

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37

life in the

moment

events Black Umfolosi

SHOPPING

Nov. 15-16 MRS. CLAUS’ SHOP HOLIDAY MARKET Airdrie Town and Country Centre Back for a third year! Enjoy holiday items from more than 55 local crafters, bakers, artisans and small-business owners at this free family event. Santa will be onsite for photos with a professional photographer (first come, first serve).

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Arts & Culture WINTER Calendar November-December ART IN THE LIBRARY EXHIBITS Airdrie Public Library Throughout the year, Airdrie Public Library (APL) plays host to local, regional and travelling art. With more than 370 visitors coming through the library’s doors each day, the APL art gallery is an important cultural stop in the community. 2014 exhibits include: Nov. 4 to Jan. 6, 2015 – Landscapes & Gardens by Deb Klics.

Nov. 15 DE TEMPS ANTAN Bert Church Theatre Since 2003, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis have explored and performed time-honoured melodies from Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki and several other instruments, the three virtuosos blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found only in traditional Quebec music. Admission is $25. 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 20 AIRDRIE FOOD BANK NEW BUILDING GRAND OPENING 20 East Lake Way Everyone is invited to this event celebrating Airdrie Food Bank’s new location. 6:30-8 p.m.

Official program at 7 p.m.

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Nov. 22 BLACK UMFOLOSI Bert Church Theatre This self-taught a cappella (imbube) singing and traditional dance group formed in 1982 by the once-schoolaged members. Specializing in imbube music and gumboot and Zulu dance, they have toured extensively nationally and internationally – from Canada to Asia.

They represented Zimbabwe at international events, including Expo 1992 in Seville, Spain, and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, B.C. Admission is $29. 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1-31 AIRDRIE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Nose Creek Park It’s the 19th year Airdrie has played host to the largest outdoor walk-through lights display in Western Canada.

6-9 p.m. nightly. Look for the complete guide inserted into this issue of airdrielife.

Dec. 4-6 DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL Bert Church Theatre Proudly presented by Bert Church High School. Dec. 4-5 at 7 p.m., matinee performance Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students/seniors.

Call the school at 403-948-3800 to purchase.

Nov. 22 GYPSIELLA HOLIDAY MARKET Faith Baptist Church Gypsiella is a non-profit organization that helps local women develop their homegrown businesses. Held in partnership with the Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society, this market guarantees a great shopping experience with 100 per cent of proceeds going to local businesses. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nov. 29 AIRDRIE ARTISANS HOLIDAY MARKET Town and Country Centre Enjoy jewelry, clothes, ceramics, paintings, photographs, woodwork, textiles, drawings and more, uniquely made by local and surrounding-area artisans, at this eighth annual event.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 30 MALL IN THE HALL Best Western Regency Hotel Carter’s Quest for a Cure is pleased to be hosting this fourth annual event featuring Christmas shopping and family fun. Choose from vendors selling jewelry, artwork, clothing, candles, food and more, while helping raise much-needed money and awareness for hemophilia. Be sure to bring the youngsters for a picture with Santa (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and to enjoy the kids’ secret shopping section, where they can buy a gift for Mom or Dad (all items under $20).

Don’t miss the bake table, which will include the most delicious cheesecakes in a jar! 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Dec 7 Seasonal Delights Holiday Market Balzac Hall Handmade gifts, local artists, hot food and baking.

Free admission. 1:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

2015:

Jan. 31 AIRDRIE HEALTH EXPO Airdrie Town and Country Centre Want to know what it takes to be the best you in 2015? Explore 52 booths of products and services focused on family health and wellness, including weight loss, health products, naturopathy, food selections and much more. Admission $2 for ages 12+.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

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life in the

moment

events

Dec. 6 BREAKFAST WITH SANTA Town and Country Centre Enjoy this chance to spend the morning or afternoon hanging out with the man in red, hosted by Carter’s Quest. Includes breakfast; a crafting station supplied and run by 4Cats Arts Studio; a stage set up for pictures with Santa, provided by Artsy Fartsy and Codio Photography; a secret kids’ shopping section; a dessert table; and many more surprises. 8:30-11 a.m. and noon to 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 AIRDRIE SANTA CLAUS PARADE Main Street The parade will start at 5 p.m. at Fletcher Park, then proceed south down Main Street, ending at Ridgegate Way at approximately 6:30 p.m. City Hall and the library will be open, allowing people to warm up and also access the public washrooms. Note: There will be road closures along Main Street between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Dec. 6-7 MAYOR’S FOOD DRIVE Airdrie Safeway Help support the efforts of Airdrie Food Bank at this annual event. Sponsored by DBC Contractors Ltd. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

Dec. 18 CHRISTMAS CONCERT George McDougall High School Featuring the school’s saxophone quartet, brass quintet, junior band, senior band, jazz combo, jazz band, choir and Georgie Girls. 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 10 CP HOLIDAY TRAIN Nose Creek Park Every year, the CP Holiday Trains travel through dozens of communities, raising food and cash donations for North American food banks.​​This year it stops in Airdrie at approximately 5 p.m.

Dec. 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE FIREWORKS SHOW East Lake Park Please note that due to variable factors (such as weather, safety, etc.), the 6:30 p.m. start time is approximate.

Estimated end time is 6:45 p.m.

Dec. 13 JESSE PETERS VINTAGE CHRISTMAS Bert Church Theatre Canadian singers Jesse Peters and Lindsey Nagy have the vocals to bring you a soulful twist on traditional Christmas carols. A dynamic performer, Peters has been compared to Frank Sinatra. He has toured all over North America and across the Pacific. Highlights have included performances at the prestigious Glenn Gould Theatre in Toronto and in New York City and a tour of major centres in China. Admission is $29. 7:30 p.m.

Dec.14 SINGFEST CELEBRATION Bert Church Theatre Don’t miss this annual concert hosted by Airdrie Community Choir, in support of the Airdrie Lioness Christmas Hamper Program. Admission is a food bank donation of cash or non-perishable food. 2:30 p.m

2015:

January-May ART IN THE LIBRARY EXHIBITS Airdrie Public Library To Jan. 6 – Landscapes & Gardens by Deb Klics; Jan. 6 to March 3 – All About Art by Anita Singh; March 3 to May 5 – True Colours by Bert Church, George McDougall and St. Martin de Porres high school students.

Jan. 10 AIRDRIE ORIGINAL ONE-ACT PLAY FESTIVAL Bert Church Theatre Nose Creek Players are once again hosting an original one-act play festival. Registration is now open.

Participants are encouraged to submit their original work.

All plays must fall under an hour in length. Nose Creek Players are not responsible for casting these plays, but can assist in connecting you with interested actors.

All participants must find their own time and location to rehearse.

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

41

life in the

moment

evenTs

We cater!r next event

Bringing good food to y

ou

Jan. 14 riK emmett bert Church theatre rik emmett gained international notoriety as Triumph’s lead singer/songwriter/guitarist. Four gold and platinum decades in the music business provided entry into the Canadian rock hall of Fame, the Music industry hall of Fame and the Junos hall of Fame, with some ‘best Guitarist’ awards in various categories garnered along the way. emmett will be joined by steve skingley for this acoustic delight. Admission is $49. 7:30 p.m.

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Jan. 24 international GUitar niGht bert Church theatre The 2014 international Guitar Night (iGN) brings four interesting and innovative guitarists together to exchange musical ideas in a public-concert setting. iGN founder brian Gore will be joined by classical innovator and fellow Californian Andrew york; brazilian jazz master Diego Figueiredo and contemporary French-Canadian steel string icon erik Mongrain. Don’t miss this inventive evening of contemporary guitar music. Admission is $32. 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31 mayor’s niGht of the arts bert Church theatre TD presents this celebratory awards evening hosted by Mayor peter brown and CbC’s Tim Tamishiro, designed to recognize the contributions that artists and performers, arts organizations, businesses, patrons and arts champions make to the vibrancy of Airdrie’s growing community.

The evening will also feature local performers showcasing their talents. feb. 7 100 mile hoUse bert Church theatre edmonton-based husband-and-wife duo peter stone and Denise MacKay plus multi-instrumentalist scott Zubot have shared their unique brand of original transatlantic folk at shows and festivals near and far. Their beautiful harmonies, rich arrangements and captivating lyrics make their sound truly distinctive. Admission is $25. 7:30 p.m.

Tupelo Honey

Rocky View Lodge Rocky View Lodge a deligh��l �lace to call home!

Newly constructed-opened 2012 Minutes to Airdrie 24 hour staff Delicious home-cooked meals Affordable rents (max $1680/mo) Social activities and outings Fitness room, billiard room & hair salon

Call to book a tour 403.946.5615

www.rockyviewfounda�on.org Feb. 15 FRED PENNER Bert Church Theatre A gentle giant with kind eyes and an undeniable ability to make you feel good, this musical master brings 25 years of commitment, consistency and depth to a career that skillfully blends the many genres of performing and communication. His diverse repertoire includes 12 children’s albums and countless energy-packed live shows for throngs of eager audiences across North America. Celebrate the Family Day weekend with this Canadian icon. Admission is $16. 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 21 SLAM IN AIRDRIE ACOUSTIC SHOWCASE Bert Church Theatre Details to come online. slaminairdrie.com Feb. 22 The Vagina monologues Bert Church Theatre Details to come online. threedcoaching.ca

Feb. 28 TUPELO HONEY (Acoustic) Bert Church Theatre Tupelo Honey is approaching the upcoming release of the band’s first full-length album. These Edmontonbased musicians hope to capture the hearts and minds of their fans. Tracks such as Best I Could, Falling and Pull Me Closer stand as testament to the band’s roots as a high-energy and radio-friendly act, with the exciting guitar riffs taking centre stage. Admission is $25.

7:30 p.m.

March 8 CALGARY OPERA’S ISIS AND THE SEVEN SCORPIONS Bert Church Theatre An exciting, ancient myth, Isis and the Seven Scorpions follows three young archaeologists lost in the Egyptian desert as they unravel the ancient myth of Isis in an effort to save their professor. Immersed in the epic struggle of a distant past, they discover the healing power of ancient wisdom. Admission is $16. 2:30 p.m.

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403.948.0400 145 East Lake Blvd winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

43

life in the

moment

makeover

W

e always receive quite a few applications to participate in our makeover contests and this time around was no exception. Our winner, Sandy, had sent such a witty submission I just

had to meet her!

Sandy has raised two children and is now a proud grandma. Over the years she has also spent a good amount of time caring for other family members and definitely deserved some pampering!

In her submission, Sandy had a pressing style question regarding her hair. She wanted to know if it was OK for her to still have long hair as an older woman.

My immediate response was YES, absolutely! The most common questions I get as a stylist almost always revolve around fashion ‘rules’ – dos and don’ts. I always respond with: If you like it and it makes YOu feel good, go for it! If you feel good, you look good!

For Sandy’s makeover we did end up chopping her hair and it turned out fabulous (not because of her age; for style reasons only). Wendy from The Hair Lounge cut off several inches and added some beautiful auburn colouring to really make Sandy’s eyes pop!

Sandy and I met up on Thanksgiving Monday at CrossIron Mills. The mall was bustling with shoppers but we navigated quickly and efficiently to put together looks for her New You makeover. Sandy is one of those people with whom you immediately feel comfortable.

She is witty and charming, and was beautiful to begin with, making my job easy breezy! Together in our session we went over her profession, interests and overall lifestyle. This gave me an idea on her own current style and breakdown of what pieces she already owned so we could round out and update her existing wardrobe. I wanted to choose versatile pieces that overlap Sandy’s work and personal life.It’s also important that while we tried new looks, we remained authentic to who Sandy is and the styles she’s most comfortable rocking.

Our makeover winner mentioned that she has always loved the look of leggings with boots, so I knew I wanted to help her pull off the look and show her how to piece things together so she could do it on her own!

Leggings are a great ‘throw-on-and-go’ item perfect for colder weather. Keep in mind, though, that leggings are not pants. Treat them as a layering piece by ensuring that the back and front of the leggings are covered.

Tunics and longer tops layered with a chunky sweater are great to pair with leggings.

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LOOKS GOOD! story by JaiMee slifKa-butalia | photos by Kristy reiMer

Sandy’s first look includes a long striped tunic paired with a fitted denim jacket and basic black leggings (all from Joe Fresh). To make the look polished and stylish I finished it off with some Michael Kors booties (Browns) and a funky embellished necklace (Joe Fresh). This look would be equally fabulous with some flat riding boots.

Sandy’s second look is great for the office, or could easily be adjusted for a night out with the husband. We pieced this entire look together at Laura petites. I chose a fitted kneelength deep-purple printed skirt layered with a cami and a fitted cardigan. I chose a matching statement necklace, again with some purple and gunmetal grey, to give Sandy a bit of an edge. To go from day to night I would ditch the cardigan and add a pop of colour on the lip to step it up.

Sandy’s third look (not shown) is the perfect cool-weather outfit! Again sticking with the leggings, we paired a chunky navy knit sweater with a patterned feminine flowy skirt. Brown suede boots pull the skirt and necklace together (all pieces from Joe Fresh), not to mention Sandy’s fab new hair!

Our fourth look consists of a fitted knit creamcoloured top paired with a knit printed skirt (Laura

petites). I matched the necklace to some of the print in the skirt and dressed it up again with the Michael Kors bootie (Browns). This look could easily include a scarf or cardigan to add more detail and layers during the colder winter months.

The final outfit I created is consistently one of my favourite looks to style. I adore pattern mixing! Sandy was initially a bit skeptical as it can be a hard look to put together but when you do, it is so stylish and fun! The key to pattern mixing is choosing a base colour to which to match your pieces. You need the finished look to be polished and cohesive.

With Sandy I chose a striped long-sleeved top layered with an animal-print cardigan. The navy in the stripes, the cardigan and beaded necklace make this look intentional and stylish. I paired it with Sandy’s own dark denim jeans for a fun twist on something she would not normally have pieced together herself.

Kristy reimer, of Kristy reimer photography, guided Sandy through her photo shoot.

There were many laughs and twirls in front of the camera and Sandy was a natural! Kristy took beautiful pictures and Sandy’s infectious smile and personality really shine through her photos.

We are so happy Sandy was our makeover winner. She really deserved to have some special treatment! life Jaimee Slifka-Butalia is a stylist and personal shopper. She is the buyer and front-runner for Gypsy Friday and Pop Up Shop and has an unwavering love for animal rescue and vintage clothing. She has worked with Freq Magazine, Southcentre Mall, Hudson’s Bay, Nars, Kim Flanagan, Christian Dior Cosmetics, Elaine Chang Makeup Artist and CrossIron Mills.

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

45

life in the

moment

contests

Winter Wonderland Winning Don’t let the colder weather and lack of daylight hours ruin your winter – play along with us and we’ll keep you smiling all winter long with some great giveaways on airdrielife.com and weekly when you follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Cure the winter blues with a gourmet meal out!

WIN a $100 gift card to Peppercorns

Brighten up your home!

WIN one of two $100 gift cards from Blue Grass Nursery, Sod & Garden Centre

Warm up your love life!

WIN one of four $25 gift cards from Cream Body & Bath

Keep your motor running!

Become ZEN with winter!

WIN one of three $100 gift cards for Blacksmith Yoga Community

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| winter 2014/2015

WIN one of 15 $20 Smart Auto gift cards

Go ahead, indulge ...

KEEp YOurSELF WArM FrOM THE INSIDE OuT! WIN one of 12 $20 Good Earth gift cards

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Send us your photo and 100 words or fewer about why you deserve a makeover with the Hair Lounge and CrossIron Mills!

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winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

47

Designer diabetes: a life in progress

life in the

moment

HealthyLife

by Tina McMillan

My name is Tina, and I have Type 2 diabetes.

“Are you talking to me?” I thought to myself as my doctor dropped the “diabetes” bomb. Guess what I Googled that night? Thank you, Internet!

So how did this happen? Well, a combination of irregular and emotional eating habits; lack of exercise; heredity; age; and stress. It was the wake-up call that I needed. My doctor recommended I speak with the nutritionist on staff to develop a meal plan and exercise regimen best suited to my lifestyle.

Diabetes defined According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which your pancreas does not produce enough insulin – a hormone that helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood – or your body does not properly use the insulin it makes. As a result, glucose builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy.

Your body gets glucose from such foods as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk and fruit. To use this glucose, your body needs insulin.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas does not produce any insulin. Type 1 generally develops in childhood or adolescence, but can develop in adulthood and is always treated with insulin. About five to 10 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 1.

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Signs and symptoms Signs and symptoms of diabetes include: thirst, frequent urination, weight change (gain or loss), extreme fatigue or lack of energy, frequent or recurring infections, cuts and bruises that are slow to heal, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, and trouble getting or maintaining an erection.

Everyone living with diabetes, whether Type 1 or Type 2, is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy and vision loss. The risk increases the longer a person has diabetes and the more advanced it is. People with Type 1 diabetes are more likely to experience vision loss sooner than those with Type 2. Early detection is key to preventing vision loss, so have your eyes examined yearly.

“Generally, patients are screened based on a referral from their family doctor or ophthalmologist,” says Shannon Perpar, CCOA (Canadian Certified Optometric Assistant) at Airdrie Eyecare Centre. “Before the patient sees the doctor a prescreening of the visual fields is done to detect any signs of abnormalities. The average age range they see of patients with diabetes is 19 to 75 years old.”

During the diabetic eye exam, drops are placed into the eye to dilate or widen the pupils to allow a direct view of the inside of the eye, including the retina. A special magnifying lens is used to examine the retina and the optic nerve for signs of damage. This test may temporarily blur your vision for a couple of hours, so you will need to bring a driver. You will also need to bring sunglasses to wear as your eyes will be sensitive to the sunlight. (The dilated fundus evaluation is covered by Alberta Health Care and can be done the same day as your comprehensive eye exam.

Note: This does not include a prescription for glasses.)

Complications Complications from diabetes include: chronic kidney disease; foot problems; non-traumatic lower limb (leg, foot, toe) amputation; heart attack; stroke; anxiety; nerve damage; and erectile dysfunction. Properly managing blood glucose levels reduces the risk of developing these complications.

My lifestyle changes Joining Herbal Magic Airdrie has helped me be accountable to someone other than myself. With support and coaching from the Herbal Magic staff, I was able to lose 28 inches of fat from all over my body. (Thanks, Mandy and Eva!) So far, I can control my diabetes without medication or test strips.

Meal planning also helps with keeping blood glucose at the right levels, although I sometimes suffer from ‘dieting burnout’ and need to remember to maintain perspective and give myself a break. With portion control comes eating when I’m hungry, not bored. One of the challenges is cooking for my family members, who don’t always want to taste my latest concoction!

Simple dietary tips include: • Reduce and/or eliminate intake of milk, sugar, soft drinks, coffee, white bread, alcohol, processed foods, French fries, hamburgers, ice caps, smoothies, pizza (my favourite food in the world!).

• Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, water, eggs, chicken, water, almond milk, whole grains, water, stevia (sweetener) only … oh, did I mention water?

While this experience has been a tough journey at times, I have begun to realize my new mantra: Eating to live, not living to eat! life fantastiC resoUrCes • Canadian Diabetes Association for information and support (diabetes.ca) • Diabetic Living for great recipes (diabeticlivingonline.com)

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49

Seasonal Delights

life in the

moment

column

Holiday Market @ Balzac Hall Sunday Dec 7 1:30 pm - 7 pm

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Community.

If the City of Airdrie ever wanted to revisit its slogan, this one word would be my recommendation. I mean, what more needs to be said?

As a community, when knocked down, we get back up. Usually with the help of a neighbour or friend. That’s what we do. It’s who we are as Airdrians.

Glowing Nightly Dec 1- 31, 2014 6 pm - 9 pm

You really don’t need to look further than this summer’s hailstorm. Will we remember a single hailstone? Or the feeling we had when we first saw the clouds roll in? The lasting image in my mind is a neighbour climbing on other people’s roofs, sweeping off all the broken glass.

It’s what we do.

Or the citizens who came together as a group to have their voices collectively heard by the province to bring 24-hour health care to the city. This was done at a black-tie affair, but it was noticed.

It’s what we do.

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50 airdrielife.com

| winter 2014/2015

Or that time, as in many a year previous, when a community came out for an entire month to celebrate the local arts (which scream to be noticed 11 other months of the year, and perform to perfection when the spotlight is on).

It’s what we do.

One of my first memories after moving to Airdrie is of a family losing a home to fire in 2008, and the lawn outside the East Lake Scout Hall becoming one big yard sale, with the proceeds going to the family. People kept

dropping off items to be sold, expecting nothing in return.

It’s what we do.

A girl experienced the wrong message by trying to send the right message at her high school, thanks to a bunch of rogue Post-it notes. I received more than my share of positive messages on Post-it Note Day. I gave a few as well.

GOLD WINNER VOTED AIRDRIE’S BEST REALTOR

It’s what we do.

We even opened our homes to people during the recent Calgary flood. Some even drove down and assisted with the cleanup.

The Army took up shop at the former Cam Clark Ford site, and had nothing but amazing things to say about the community when they left. I mean, it’s not often you hear of people handing out cookies and the like to our sacrificing soldiers.

It’s what we do.

You think that last one was a one-off?

Take a look at social media when a chunk of downtown Calgary lost power. Albeit a long shot outside of family and friends taking advantage, but many Airdrie residents offered food and shelter near Thanksgiving to those who couldn’t return home.

Say it with me: It’s what we do.

We’ve all seen it. Many of us, including yours truly, have experienced it. That’s why many who move here never leave. Airdrie is only a city by population. Deep down, I’m sure we’d all agree we’d rather be called a community. And no matter what, a community takes care of its own.

It’s what we do. life

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winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

51

life in the

moment

Baby, it’s cold outside ....

column

parentlife

with Vanessa Peterelli

I

t’s the time of year when colder temperatures and shorter days can make life tough for busy parents with ‘even-busier’ children.

In addition to the scheduling challenges that come with the various school and after-school activities this time of year, there’s the additional clothing layers to apply (and/or pack); the lost mittens/hats/scarves/etc. to track down or replace; the wet (or muddy!) snowpants and gloves to contend with; and the mound of disorganized wet boots and apparel by the door.

Sometimes, it’s enough to make us want to stay inside and hibernate. But then cabin fever sets in; the kids need to burn off steam and get their daily dose of fresh air and a little sunshine. (Don’t we all?)

“The single best thing you can do for your kids is to get them dressed warm and throw them outside (and JOIN them!) – ‘magically’ they will come up with a game or activity that they thought up on their own that doesn’t require watching TV or gaming,” says Dr. Paul Bajor of Access Chiropractic and Wellness. “The best part? It will be nearly impossible to get them to come back in!”

Airdrians are lucky to be able to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities that stretch the body (and the family budget!), all within easy access. Here’s a list of just 10:

1 Go skating at one of Airdre’s 11 free public skating venues. (Visit airdrie.ca for a full list and map of rinks and ice services.)

2 Zoom the afternoon away on the popular toboggan hill at Chinook Winds Park.

Problem: The kids are 3 Spend a magical December evening exploring the Festival of Lights at Nose Creek Park. bouncing off the walls and 4 Challenge the kids to a snowman or snow-fort building contest. furniture, or are glued to an Join the kids in a friendly snowball fight.

5 electronic device.

6 See Santa and friends on parade on Main Street (Dec. 6).

Solution: Get active; Make snow angels in the front yard, at the park or both.

7 get outdoors!

Pack up the family and Fido and make some new friends at the off-leash areas.

8 9 Have a blast at New Year’s Eve and make the fireworks show at East Lake Park a family ritual.

Airdrie’s great pathway system move you! Enjoy a leisurely stroll, brisk walk, game of tag or invigorating run on more than 90 10 Let kilometres of cleared paths linking communities and parks across the city, or take the path less travelled (onto the snow alongside the pathway!) and enjoy the scenery on cross-country skis or snowshoes.

“Airdrie is on the move and that’s how we want to help Airdrians stay – healthy and connected,” says Kevin Brinson of the City’s parks department, noting that most paths are cleared by mid-morning, enhancing year-round use.

Brinson adds that Airdrie’s skateable ice surfaces are maintained on a weekly basis. Due to fluctuating temperatures, be sure to check airdrie.ca for condition updates (ice thickness of 12 inches or more is the safest bet, says Brinson).

The parks department checks the toboggan hill daily for usability as well.

In all cases, Airdrians must use their own discretion. “Always remember to use good sense and common courtesy when enjoying outside activities,” reminds Brinson. life – Rocky View County resident Vanessa Peterelli is a mother of two, freelance writer and editor who has been working for Frog Media Inc. for the past six years

Have a unique, family snow-time activity we haven’t mentioned here?

We’d love to hear about it! Share with us on Facebook for your chance to WIN a $20 Good Earth gift card!

52 airdrielife.com

| winter 2014/2015

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winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

53

life in the

moment

giving

Spread the Joy! by anne beaty

6 ways to give back to your community this holiday season

1

Be a part of the Airdrie Lioness Christmas Hampers Program by donating (cash, food, toys and gifts), adopting a family or volunteering. Each year, the ladies of the Lioness Club facilitate a link between individuals and families experiencing difficulties and generous sponsors, donors and volunteers, one hamper at a time, says Airdrie Lioness president Judy Zaychkowsky. “When adopting a family you bring smiles to a child’s face, warm a senior’s heart, bring relief to a family, all while making their holiday season more festive and joyous,” Zaychkowsky says. “We look forward to continuing to create strong and healthy futures for the children, youth and families in our community.”

2 3 4 5 6

Support Airdrie Food Bank through donations of food or money. Every little bit means a lot, says Sue Methuen, food bank executive assistant. “Everybody is busy at Christmas – we’d love to have volunteers but we also need them … throughout the year,” Methuen says. What donors can also do to help in another important way is to include a personal handwritten note of encouragement with their donation. “That’s a feel-good,” Methuen says.

Give a book a good home at Airdrie Public Library (APL). APL’s annual Adopt-a-Book program allows everyone to add wonderful books for all ages to the library’s collection, in memory of a loved one or in the name of that special someone. An adopted book is not only the gift that keeps on giving; it’s also a great Christmas present for that hard-to-buy-for person who has everything!

Volunteer with the Airdrie Festival of Lights. The event can always use help to ensure it continues to light up the night for Airdrie residents and visitors. Train driver, hot chocolate salesperson, parking gate attendant, tent assistant, Santa’s helper – the volunteer job list is long and varied for anyone who can spare some time to share the magic. Cash donations are always welcome, too.

Share a meal with Jolly Old St. Nick at Carter’s Quest Breakfast with Santa Dec. 6, 8:30-11 a.m. or 12-2:30 p.m. Kids of all ages will have a ball at the crafting station, by 4Cats Arts Studio; the stage set up for pictures with Santa, by Artsy Fartsy, and Codio Photography; the secret kids’ shopping section; and the dessert table – all in support of Carter’s Quest for a Cure.

Contribute to The Butcher Shoppe’s 12th annual toy drive for the Alberta Children’s Hospital by donating a new, unopened toy, game, book or puzzle. Collections are being taken for hospitalized children, from infants to 17-year-old boys and girls, up until Dec. 18, in time for delivery to the hospital the week before Christmas.

Cash donations for the purchase of new toys and games are also appreciated.

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life

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community life in the 70 With honour

62 self-sacriďŹ ce 72 Cold Comfort

citylife

finances

SERVING SOON ...

2015 Budget

by alex frazer-harrison

E

DiD you Know? a one per cent tax increase is equivalent to one specialty coffee a month to the average taxpayer.

1% 60 airdrielife.com

| winter 2014/2015

very fall, the City of Airdrie goes through the ritual of figuring out how much it will cost to provide services to residents for the next year – and how much everyone will pay in property taxes.

It’s a tough job involving hundreds of hours of number crunching, and one that often sparks some misconceptions from people who want to know where their tax dollars go.

“Sometimes, I find citizens don’t always know what we’re responsible for and what we use taxes for,” says Lucy Wiwcharuk, director of corporate services with the City.

“There’s a misconception out there that we can control or influence what your healthcare looks like, or schools, and that is not under our jurisdiction.”

And then there are the highways. City taxes go towards fixing potholes on Thorburn Drive. Spy a pothole on the QEII? That’s the purview of the province.

So where do your property taxes go? And what does it really mean when you see the tax rate inch up a percentage point, or two or three?

According to the 2014 budget, net property taxes bring in 40.8 per cent of City operating revenues, with another 32.1 per cent coming from user fees, utility bills and transit fares. Salaries, wages and benefits take the biggest piece of the pie for gross City expenditures, at 44 per cent.

As for the top priority for City funding?

“Creating safe communities, so all your police and your fire services … those are top of mind,” says Wiwcharuk.

Airdrie does not have its own police department, so it contracts out policing duties to the RCMP; according to the 2014 budget, this cost was expected to rise by $657,000 for 2014. The 2014 capital budget also calls for

$3.6 million to relocate the Main Street fire station with grants identified as the funding source and municipal reserves being earmarked for replacement fire vehicles such as bush buggies. At last count, 27 per cent of City manpower was allocated towards community safety services (including fire and police, emergency management, building inspections, corporate properties and municipal enforcement fall into this category).

“We also provide transit service,” says Wiwcharuk, listing off other property tax- or user fee-funded services. “And it’s our responsibility to put in roads and underground infrastructure here in the city, and it’s our responsibility to maintain it.”

The City also operates its own Utilities division to take care of such things as water, sewer, waste management and garbage pickup. However, Wiwcharuk notes, the City purchases water from the City of Calgary and sends its sewage there for treatment, and these are some of the costs reflected in residential and business utility bills.

Also on the list are parks and recreation facilities.“Those are a little bit different because [some of ] those have user fees,” says Wiwcharuk. “We provide the infrastructure, put up the buildings, and the users share the costs of maintaining and operating.”

And property taxes also help fund community services such as social planning, community development and the public library. “The library is able to operate because it uses … tax dollars,” notes Wiwcharuk.

This is just the tip of the iceberg – the 2014 Budget document is more than 450 pages thick. And this November council is deliberating the 2015 budget and deciding how much more of a chunk to take out of residents’ wallets in a city that’s one of the fastest-growing in Canada (Airdrie has more than doubled its population in a decade, with more people and businesses moving in all the time).

Wiwcharuk says that Airdrie prides itself on its relatively low property taxes.“We have the lowest taxes of any mid-sized city in Alberta by a huge margin,” she says.“If [someone] were to pick another mid-sized city, they’d be paying 40 per cent more than they’re paying here.”

But costs rise, and Wiwcharuk notes that there’s a challenge. “We’re heavily residential … and one new taxpayer coming into a community normally doesn’t cover the cost to pay for all of this stuff,” she says.

The 2014 budget decreed a 3.44 per cent increase in property taxes.

Based on the 2014 budget, each one per cent tax increase adds $365,000 a year to the City coffers. But the impact to average taxpayers only works out to $4 per month – well less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee – or $36 for the average commercial property. Wiwcharuk says that the hike allowed the City to bring in $1,255,600 in additional revenue this year.

The 2015 budget is expected to be finalized by city council in December, so it remains to be seen how much property taxes may ultimately rise next year, but it all boils down to what the City hears from residents from satisfaction surveys and community needs assessments.

And, Wiwcharuk says, residents want the City to continue to provide the level of service and amenities that continue to make Airdrie a great place to live.“They want us to keep up with all of that,” she says.

The City of Airdrie’s budget documents may be viewed on the City website (airdrie.ca). life

Where does the money come from? origin of 2014 operating revenues for the City of Airdrie: Net property taxes – 40.8% Sales and user charges – 32.1% Other revenue from own sources (i.e. building permits, engineering and subdivision development fees, land sales, fines, etc.) – 18.8% Drawn from reserves and allowances – 5.3% Federal and provincial grants – 2.5% Sales to other governments – 0.5%

Where does the money go? estimated gross expenditures for 2014 for the City of Airdrie: Salaries, wages and benefits – 44% purchases from other governments (includes water from City of Calgary) – 15.5% Contracted and general services – 14.8% Materials, goods, supplies, utilities – 8.2% paying off long-term debt – 6.4% Added to reserves/allowances – 5.2% Internal charges – 2.8% Grants paid out – 2.5% Other transactions – 0.4% Bank charges and short-term interest – 0.2% – SOurCE CITY OF AIrDrIE 2014 BuDGET

– SOurCE CITY OF AIrDrIE 2014 BuDGET

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

61

community

Heartfelt T

life in the

greaTesT gifT

story by alex frazer-harrison photos by Kristy reiMer

Airdrie girl rises to the challenge 62 airdrielife.com

| winter 2014/2015

wo years ago, one family’s personal tragedy offered the gift of life for a little Airdrie girl.

Abigail Fraser was born in June 2011 with a rare condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS. Affecting roughly three in 10,000 births, the left side of the heart, including aorta and ventricles, is so underdeveloped that it’s basically not there.

Incredibly, despite the rarity of the condition, Abigail was actually Nancy Fraser’s second child born with HLHS; three years earlier, Hailey was born with the same thing.

“When we had Hailey and she had it, we thought, what’s the chance of it ever happening again?” says Nancy, who in both cases was notified while still pregnant, which is when the condition is usually detected. “They’ve seen, like, maybe one other family in the world where both children have HLHS.” At the time, Nancy and husband Jamie lived in B.C., and it was there where Hailey underwent the three surgeries needed to work around the defect, with the first occurring not long after birth.

“For the first surgery, they use human material, [including a donated] piece of aorta … used to reconstruct the vessels that are too small,” says Dr. Simon Urschel, clinical director of pediatric heart transplant at Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.

Hailey’s surgeries went well, but when it came time to do Abigail’s, complications set in.

“She had a catastrophic cardiac arrest,” says Nancy. As a result, Abigail was placed on a type of heart-lung machine. Soon, the decision was made to transfer her to Stollery.

“They tried to do more procedures to save her heart, but it was too far gone, so they decided to go the transplant route,” says Nancy.

“They worked her up for transplant and put her on the [donation waiting] list … but they found her antibodies were 100 per cent positive, which was a bad thing for a baby.”

Playtime is precious for Abigail Fraser and mom Nancy.

This extraordinarily high level of antibodies was due to the way human tissue had been implanted into Abigail during her initial surgery, Urschel says. “The body starts fighting this tissue and starts developing antibodies,” he explains. “We know from previous pediatric heart transplants that if you’ve got a situation called positive crossmatch, antibodies immediately attack the heart and the chances of surviving five years are pretty much zero.”

Under Urschel’s guidance, Abigail became the first child in Canada to undergo a special desensitization protocol involving several medications, including an anti-cancer drug, which worked to reduce the amount of antibodies in her system.

Nancy says that it was touch and go, with Abigail at one point being rushed to the operating room because of an issue with oxygen in her lungs, but then came a fateful day in late November 2011.

“I walked into the hospital room and the doctor was standing there and I said,‘What’s wrong?’” Nancy recalls.“He said … ‘We’re not going to know for an hour or two if it’s a match,’ and I’m, like,‘What?’”

An infant’s heart had been donated, and it was a match. Abigail’s antibodies had been reduced enough by this time that the transplant could proceed.

Fast forward two years. The family now lives in Airdrie, and Abigail is a ball of energy, wanting to join in on the conversation and running from toy to toy like any normal three-year-old. Hailey is now six, and this summer Nancy gave birth to another daughter, Lillian (who does not have HLHS).

There are challenges ahead, says Nancy. Abigail has anti-rejection medication she needs to take for the rest of her life; she’s also on blood thinners due to another circulation-related condition. This makes Nancy very careful about her daughter hitting her head or getting infections from unvaccinated children. Abigail also needs to go to Edmonton for an annual heart catheter procedure to make sure her new heart is still working properly.

But the important thing is that Abigail is alive, and Nancy has become an advocate for pediatric donations.

“Abby was given the gift of life in December 2011 … she has two birthdays,” Nancy says. “It was a real courageous family that gave the gift of life. They have a program where you can write letters [to the donor family] and I did. The family chose not to respond, which [is] understandable … I left it open. It may be 15 years down the road.

“I don’t know what I’d do,” she adds.“These moms and dads are dealing with trauma; something terrible has happened. It can be hard for a lot of ICU doctors … it’s a huge question that they just tried to save that kid’s life and they couldn’t, so can you donate? I wish the government would put in a program where maybe a social worker will come in and speak to the family.”

Urschel says that babies with heart transplants have excellent longterm survival rates.“My heart always goes out to the family that decides in a disastrous situation to donate the organs and save a life,” he says.“It’s the greatest gift someone can give.” life

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

63

community

life abroad

To China with Love

life in the

The Inkpens – back, left to right: Andrew, Jacquelyn, Darcie and Brendin; front: Andrea and Aslya – had to barter for this red Chinese tablecloth.

64 airdrielife.com

| winter 2014/2015

story by Jennifer Brigden | photo by Kristy Reimer

They say home is where the heart is,

and for Airdrie’s Inkpen family, home has become Changsha, a city in the southeastern province of Hunan in China.

Darcie and Andrew Inkpen, parents of four, went to China for the first time in 2009 on a church-led mission trip and were inspired to return, ideally for longer, to offer a helping hand where needed.

“Immediately after we landed in China, we felt like it was where we were meant to be. Usually after 10 or 11 days I want to go home, but I didn’t want to go back,” says Darcie. “I returned in January 2011 and it was reaffirmed: working with kids in China is where we belong.”

With a diploma in early childhood education from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Darcie quickly began looking for volunteer opportunities. She found the perfect fit when she was introduced to a Christian charity called International China Concern (ICC) and applied.

“Ours is 100 per cent volunteer work and we’re financially supported by our family and friends. We don’t get any money from our work,” she explains.

Founded in 1993, ICC works with the Chinese government to help rescue children in need, providing food, housing and love; finding schools; funding surgeries; preventing abandonment; and training local caregivers in childcare.

With her background in education, Darcie is able to focus her passion, talents and experience to train local staff on new practices in youth education. Her first order of business is simple: have fun.

She strives to incorporate play and recreation as learning tools into the syllabus for the children in an ICC-run orphanage in Changsha.

“When I’m there with the kids, we’re doing a lot of teaching through play,” she says. “(The Chinese instructors) are very education-focused, regardless of these children’s disabilities.”

Darcie worked hard to pioneer activities typical to a Western classroom – such as music, games and singing – into the curriculum.

Now, she says, playtime is par for the course. She also introduced daily five-minute massage time to increase personal contact, something that was sorely lacking.

“Usually the only time the children were being touched was to meet their basic needs. I introduced a five-minute massage time as a way of getting people to hold the kids,” she says.

Husband Andrew helps out at the orphanage in an unofficial capacity, spending time with the older children and acting as a role model to the boys in the home.

“His role – which has been quite huge – is hanging out with a group of older boys,” Darcie says. “They don’t have any male influ-

ences and he goes in and acts as a father figure or big brother. He takes them out and runs around in the yard, pushes the wheelchairs, takes them to the market.”

The Inkpens have two teenagers of their own, Brendin, 15, and Jacquelyn, 13, plus adopted twin six-year-old daughters, Andrea and Aslya. The oldest two are home-schooled and spend a lot of time at the orphanage volunteering and playing, and the youngest attend a local Mandarin-speaking school.

The family lives in China for two years at a time with a twomonth break in between. They finished their first stint last summer and came home to Airdrie to recharge, visit friends and family and relax before returning to their new home for another few years. The Inkpens especially enjoyed spending the warm summer months back in Alberta in the wide open spaces and fresh air – two things in short supply in Changsha – and the teenagers really looked forward to spending time with their friends.

“Coming back this summer – the support from the community, our friends and our family has been quite overwhelming,” Darcie says.

They also relished the ability to openly celebrate their faith while in Canada, a luxury not afforded to them in China where government restrictions are enforced.

“Coming home to Airdrie means having a place to freely worship with other Christians without limitations and regulations,” says Andrew.

Friends and family, eager to hear about their adventures overseas, expressed admiration for their charity and good works and the Inkpens were deeply touched by the encouragement they received from the community.

“I grew up here,” Darcie says.“To see the continued support from longtime friends, childhood friends, the Airdrie Alliance Church, the schools – it’s amazing.”

But armed with their faith and the certainty that comes from knowing they belong in Changsha, Darcie, Andrew and the children were eager to return to their new home and country.

“I love going back knowing it is where God wants us to live,” says Andrew.“I enjoy the culture, the people, the city, our team, our staff and our ICC kids.”

The Inkpens have found their true calling in service to causes that mean a great deal to them and they plan to continue working with children in need for years to come – wherever that may be.

“We’ve committed to ICC for another three to five years and we can see ourselves working in China for another 10. After that, maybe Africa or Indonesia – who knows?” Darcie says. “It’s what we’re meant to do and we’ll keep doing it as long as we can.” life

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life in the

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Multiculturalism

Along with her family, Zuzie Grant’s road to Canada was a journey from oppression.

Proud Canadian story by Lori Kuffner | photo by Kristy Reimer

A

Airdrie woman doesn’t take freedom for granted

irdrie’s Zuzanna Zelenecky Grant seems the typical Canadian. She has lived in Airdrie since 1990 and today, she and husband Paul own and operate Stand Fast Auto Repair. But her roots extend far behind an Iron Curtain, and her family’s journey to freedom was one fraught with danger.

Aug. 21, 1968: The Warsaw Pact countries (East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland) invaded Czechoslovakia and, along with hundreds of other families, the Zeleneckys – parents Karel and Zdena, and young daughters Zdena and Zuzanna – fled their homeland. The parents were branded traitors and to return meant imprisonment.

Nov. 9, 1989: The Berlin Wall fell and the world watched. For the Zeleneckys, this news meant they could finally go home.

In May 1990, the family stood at the crumbled wall and Grant saw tears in her father’s eyes.“All my life my dad said, ‘Zuzie, you don’t know

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what you have.’ I realized what he meant,” Grant says. “I was only six when we left. I grew up in Canada. I really didn’t know any other way.”

As she learned, life under oppression meant that most people did not have telephones, televisions or even electricity.

“It was an eye-opener to return,” says Grant. “I could not believe the grocery stores. Shelves were stocked with liquor, but barely any food.”

Her aunt would line up at the bakery by 4 a.m. so the family could have bread for breakfast. “They tell us to grow our own vegetables,” her aunt would say, “but our soil is ruined from bombs – how can we grow vegetables?”

Before the invasion, life for the Zelenecky family had been good.

Grant’s father and uncle owned a recycling business and her father also traded on the black market, which provided a way to buy everything from blue jeans to cars.

After August 1968, under communist rule, operating in the black market became dangerous, remembers sister Zdena.“And Dad feared if he was caught, he would be arrested.”

Zuzanna’s and Zdena’s parents quickly planned an escape. They told everyone they were going to Austria for a holiday. Only the girls’ uncle, who worked with their father, knew the truth. As the Austrian border would soon close to Czechs, Karel Zelenecky bought passports from the underground. Fortunately they had money on hand.

In October, with one suitcase each, the family drove away, leaving everything else behind for a life of freedom.

Safely in Austria, the Zeleneckys needed to get to West Germany for asylum. A friend with proper credentials agreed to drive their car and belongings there. So as not to be seen, the family walked for four hours through heavy forest to get to their destination.

Zuzanna’s only memory of that day was being upset when her white tights became dirty. Her father quickly settled her down, and they continued to walk without further incident.“If we were caught,” says Zdena,“the worst could happen.”

As they looked to the future, the Zeleneckys picked Canada for their home because it was the shortest wait period. Zuzanna’s mother sifted through brochures and liked the scenic picture with mountains, a sunset and a cowboy on a horse.

Oct. 31, 1968: The family arrived in Calgary in a snowstorm. Language was the biggest barrier the family faced at first. Zuzanna was teased at school because she could not speak English, but that would soon change. Sister Zdena learned English by watching soap operas and reading Harlequin romances. Although a nurse by trade, mother Zdena started making cabinets. She struggled with the language and was often homesick. Father Karel took whatever job he could to provide for his family and never looked back.

It was difficult because letters and phone calls were limited. Family, unfortunately, was a sacrifice they had to make. But with time came understanding.

“After the trip (back to Czechoslovakia in 1990), I said to my father, ‘Thank you – thank you to you and Mom,’ and he smiled, knowing what I meant,” says Zuzanna.“I am glad to [have grown] up Canadian. I don’t think we know how lucky we are living here.” life

A Taste of Czechoslovakia Chicken Paprika 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut in large cubes 4 tsp paprika or to taste (up to 3-4 tbsp) 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup onion, chopped 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup sour cream, plus 3-4 drops of lemon juice salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken with 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil or oil in a skillet; sauté chicken on both sides until thoroughly cooked.

Set aside.

Add butter to skillet; sauté onion until soft and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add more paprika and stir. Add chicken broth to mixture and boil until sauce has thickened, 8-10 minutes.

Place chicken back into skillet. Turn heat down, add sour cream and mix thoroughly.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Can be served with dumplings or plain rice.

Pork Roast with Dumplings and Sauerkraut Cook pork roast at 175 C (350 F) with chopped onion, a tablespoon of caraway seed and garlic.

Dumplings 4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 eggs 3/4 cup warm water 3/4 cup warm milk 1 1/2 tsp cream of wheat 1 package yeast

the rolls in one at a time; cover and cook 10-15 minutes.

Remove dumplings after 10 minutes; test for doneness by cutting through the middle of the dumpling with thread. If it is done remove the dumpling and slice 3/4-inch pieces, again with thread.

Sauerkraut Fry bacon and onion over medium-high heat until bacon is cooked and onion golden; set aside.

Prepare large pot of boiling water. Follow instructions for yeast.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cream of wheat in bowl. Stir in 2 eggs, 3/4 cup warm milk, water and yeast; mix together.

Use machine to mix until dough no longer sticks. Using floured hands, take dough out of bowl and shape into rolls 8 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. When water is boiling, slip

Place rinsed, drained sauerkraut in saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to simmer over medium heat.

Stir together cornstarch and water. Mix into the sauerkraut and simmer for a few minutes before removing from heat.

Drizzle dumpling slices with some of the roast drippings from the pan.

Enjoy!

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Photo courtesy of Michelle Stewart

life in the

community

foundations The Stewart family – Michelle (left), Christine and daughter Kaleigh – have always felt comfortable in Airdrie.

Taking PRIDE in life

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Airdrie’s PRIDE community steps out to change perceptions

A

by anne beaty

irdrie Pride Society (APS) president Kayla Jessen’s dream for the future is a community – and a world – in which a Pride Society is not necessary. That’s why Jessen is more than happy to head up a non-profit organization aimed at raising awareness of the issues facing the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community, opening minds and encouraging acceptance.

“In any society, about one in five people will identify as LGBTQ, whether openly or not,” Jessen says.“I want to promote equality.”

One way of doing this is to shine a light on the LGBTQ presence in the Airdrie and stimulate open conversation between community members.

“The ultimate goal (of APS) is visibility and an active presence to help facilitate continued acceptance and growth of community,” says board member Michelle Stewart, who has lived in Airdrie for more than 20 years.

While Stewart, her wife, Christine, and daughter Kaleigh, 10, have found Airdrie very accepting – in fact, Kaleigh even has friends who were jealous of her having two moms – there’s still work to be done, which is why Stewart joined the APS board.

“I want to be part of the group that helps make Pride a visible part of the Airdrie community,” Stewart says. “I want acceptance of same-sex couples and families to continue to grow and gain acceptance in our community. I want our daughter to know that she and her family [are] accepted.”

And Stewart believes that the road to acceptance comes from greater understanding and looking beyond ‘lifestyle’ stereotypes to see LGBTQ people as just that: people.

“I have never had any issue within the Airdrie community, but I have always worked to gain acceptance by showing that we are the same as everyone else, not different,” she says. “I’m living life, just like everyone else: going to work, paying my bills, cleaning my house, raising our kids.

“Being a part of the APS isn’t about me, it’s about them, the kids (Stewart’s family also includes a stepson, stepdaughter and two grandchildren),” she adds. “It’s about them finding themselves as part of a community that doesn’t make them feel ‘weird’ about having two moms or two grandmoms.”

Laying the foundations for the next generation is also paramount for Jessen and her husband, who want their two young children, aged eight and two, to be able to grow up in an open and accepting environment, where their friends and acquaintances are accepted for who they are, without any derogatory labels.

“It’s important for me for my kids,” Jessen says of her involvement with APS. And the experience of a friend of hers, who was hospitalized after being attacked when he left a gay bar, only underscores her beliefs.

With that in mind, Jessen, Stewart and their fellow APS board members – a wide variety of people including city councillors Fred Burley and Ron Chapman – are working hard to build a strong organization.

While APS has already taken part in such events as the Canada Day parade, the main focus right now is building a strong foundation, Jessen says.“Starting any non-profit is a long process,” she says.

Over the past several months, APS has also been in touch with other local organizations, such as PFLAG (formerly known as Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays) and the Boys and Girls Club, as well as being quite active on Twitter and Facebook, with the aim of building connections with the community. The diverse makeup of the board exemplifies what is needed in any community in order to ensure longevity of the society’s aims.

“This is not about gay people standing up and saying [intolerance and inequality] is not OK; everyone has to stand up and say that,” Jessen says.

Additional board members are also welcome, and APS will hold its annual general meeting and vote to fill the vacant positions. For anyone else who wants to support the society, joining the APS Facebook page would be much appreciated.

For the most part, community response to date has been positive, even though the issues can be highly divisive.“People feel really strongly about it, one way or another,” Jessen says. “We did have some really great response; we did have some not-so-great response.”

But hopefully through APS, those not-so-great responses can be mitigated and Airdrie can become even more open and welcoming.

“So far we’ve been blessed to have had great neighbours and friends who have always accepted and welcomed us for the people that we are,” Stewart says.“Airdrie is a great family community, this is just one more piece that needs to be present to show the variety of our community culture and our acceptance of it.”

APS can be reached at airdriepridesociety@gmail.com and the Airdrie chapter of PFLAG Canada meets on the last Saturday of the month, 6-8 p.m., at the Airdrie United Church, CE Building (basement). life

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life in the

community

Young hero

“There is no other

job where you have 24 hours notice that you’re going to a grief-stricken country because a natural disaster has occurred.

�

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MILITARY

MAN Teegan marTin receives accolades for his life’s calling

T

story anD photo by carl patzel

raversing the minefields of life takes on a whole new meaning with a career in the military.

There are very few hazardous occupations where putting life on the line willingly is a daily occurrence. While a firefighter or police officer can ultimately refuse to step into a dangerous situation, that option isn’t available for a military-trained officer.

“It’s something you have to accept right from the beginning. We sign up for unlimited liability. Nowhere else in Canada can you have a job that you put your life on the line,” says 3016 Highlanders Army Cadet Corps Chief Warrant Officer Teegan Martin. producing a clean-cut look, piercing eyes and stance only earned through years of training, the 18-year-old Airdrian decided at an early age that donning a Canadian Forces uniform was his calling.

He is already reaping the benefits of a disciplined lifestyle.

Among his many accolades and accomplishments, Martin was named Canada’s most outstanding cadet, receiving the highest national prize for any Army cadet, the 2014 General Walsh Memorial Sword – named for retired Lt.-Gen. Geoffrey Walsh, one of the founders of the Army Cadet League of Canada.

“No discredit to any other job, but there is no other job where you have 24 hours notice that you’re going to a grief-stricken country because a natural disaster has occurred,” says the George McDougall high school graduate. “(In the military) you can’t say no. It’s something you [accept].

“You understand the cause behind, the reason behind it,” Martin adds. “I’m doing this for the better of the country, or the world, and an objective.”

Now on a full military scholarship at the university of Calgary, studying political science and international relations, the young soldier has signed a 13-year agreement with the Canadian Forces, entering the regular Officer Training program (rOTp) as an armoured unit officer.

Joining the Cadets at age 12, Martin was influenced by his mother, Diane, who rose to the rank of regimental sergeant major in the 3016 troop, and a grandfather who spent 34 years in the reserves.

“Before I even joined Cadets, right from when I was young, (my family had) known that that was something I wanted. It hadn’t snuck up as a surprise to them,” says Martin.

“They’ve been understanding and very encouraging. They’ve supported me in everything I’ve done whether I’ve succeeded or not.”

Even during his six years as a cadet, Martin has never taken the easy road. From historical Europe military-related trips to earning his jump wings at the Canadian Armed Forces basic parachute course to being one of 36 chosen for the Army Cadet National Expedition Team (also known as the ultimate Army Cadet challenge) – his experiences have been invaluable to his many accomplishments and induction into the military.

“It’s one of the three main pillars of the cadet program: developing good attributes of citizenship; physical fitness; and an introduction and familiarization with the Canadian military,” Martin says. “For me that third pillar of the cadet program was very strong. I had always enjoyed the military and the involvement in working with active military members.”

That sense of family and camaraderie, as well as his leadership, teamwork and communications skills gained through Cadets, has now transferred to his military journey.

“They say you can never really leave the military – it’s true. Once people retire they like to remain actively involved because that’s their skill set, that’s the group they fit in with,” he says.

As recipient of the Walsh Memorial Sword, Martin earned the right to travel to Ottawa for the Nov. 11 remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial as a guest of the royal Canadian Legion, where he joined prime Minister Stephen Harper, Gov. Gen. David Johnston, the chief of the defence staff and other dignitaries.

“I’m honoured to represent the Cadet movement, to be recognized and being able to inspire new kids to become part of it,” Martin says. “I really don’t know what my life would be like if I wasn’t in Cadets. It’s taking me to more places than I can imagine.” life

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life in the

community

sport enthusiasts

story and photo by Carl Patzel

A new lease on life gives Airdrie Junior B hockey new energy

Thundering into the future

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Airdrie Techmation Thunder new owners – left to right: Larry Smith, Gordon Ziegler and Derek Polsfut, and Jim Sawby (not pictured) – are thrilled with the support shown by the community.

It took four horsemen riding out of the sunset to save a hockey apocalypse.

Perhaps a bit dramatic, but a group of four hockey enthusiasts is looking to elevate that type of excitement around the Airdrie Thunder Junior B hockey franchise.

Chilled about the possibility of seeing the local squad placed on ice with the retirement of longtime owner Frank McEvoy, this tight owner-group produced a hat trick in saving the Thunder from possible oblivion.

“We basically took over the team from [Frank]. We had a different idea of what we wanted to run and give that value back. We had a different focus,” said club president Gordon Ziegler.

The former Airdrie Minor Hockey coach is joined by new general manager, Larry Smith, and two new vice-presidents, Jim Sawby and Derek Polsfut.

Heading into its 16th Heritage Junior Hockey League season, the squad now sports a new sponsor, a new team logo and a new name in the Airdrie Techmation Thunder, thanks to part-owner Polsfut.

“Techmation stepped up as a major sponsor to buy them all helmets and gloves and three sets of jerseys,” says Ziegler.

“Our sponsorship has been unbelievable already, with a lot of support from local businesses,” adds the club president. “That’s

what it takes – support the team on and off the ice. If you can’t have that it’s impossible.”

Despite missing the playoffs for the first time last season, the group is looking to build a successful program composed of quality hockey and top-class entertainment.

“We want families to go out on a Friday night and enjoy a good brand of hockey instead of spending millions of dollars trying to go to the (Calgary) Flames or go to Calgary to watch Junior A. It’s just going to be a lot of fun,” says Ziegler.

The owner group is looking far beyond this season and entertaining the possibility of the Thunder one day reaching the Junior A ranks.

Despite some facility limitations – the team currently plays out of the smaller Ron Ebbesen Arena – Ziegler feels the combination of population growth and homegrown talent flowing through the AA minor system could support a Junior A franchise even if it’s several years down the road.

“We’d be lying if we didn’t want Junior A even right now. The facility is what’s probably holding us back. Also we have to prove to ourselves and everyone else that this city is capable of hosting a Junior A hockey team,” says Ziegler, who is already instilling that attitude in his current squad.

“We want the Junior A mentality. They’re going to get that culture and respect,” he adds.“All we’re asking for in return is respect and to give back to your community. The kids have all bought into it.” life

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community

rough & Tough

story and Photos By CarL PatZeL

Highlanders

life in the

The

Rugby gainS a foothold in Airdrie

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For those who have never encountered this old-time sport or seen the movie Invictus, rugby can at times resemble the hard-hitting game of North American football. The only differences? Take away the padding, helmets and face guards and substitute those protective measures with a huge dose of toughness.

Those who pursue this physically brutal sport regularly endure flesh-slapping tackles, have bare faces plastered into the ground and get buried under the force of a couple hundred kilograms of man muscle.

It’s the ultimate game of dog pile. Guided by such foreign terminology as “scrum” (competitive huddle), “tries” (scoring) and “hooker” (mid position), this rugged sport dating back to the mid-1800s can be often misconstrued.

“There is a warfare-like element to it, a Spartan, ancient Greek warfare momentum to the game that I believe builds a bond, determination and dedication for one another unlike any other game,” says Tim Van Vliet, player/coach and Airdrie Highlanders Youth Athletic Association (AHYAA) president.

Boasting 32 seasons of play in three different countries, the veteran rugby player, coach and administrator went shoulder to shoulder with locals in their inaugural season with the Calgary Rugby Union (CRU).

From day one, Van Vliet took a team-based philosophical approach to enticing a small group of men to enter the blood-, sweat- and grass-stained rugby battlefield.

“There are moments when your teammate is on the ground and vulnerable and that transforms your social interaction off the field. But rugby took it a step forward.

Somewhere along the line it became about respect – not just for each other, not just for the referee, but also for the opposition,” he says.

Having played for several decades, Van Vliet was surprised the expanding city of Airdrie didn’t have a rugby program.

Even before the local squad laced on cleats, the veteran player was meeting with the CRU technical director. That organization helped steer the Highlanders in the right direction and introduced Van Vliet to the eventual club vice-president, John Young.

Young became a local ambassador for the sport, helping to reach out to local players and increasing interest in the game. The Highlanders formed a small board of directors,

raised funds and gained some sponsorship. They attracted 24 people during their first winter indoor training session.

“We did it backwards,” Van Vliet says. “You never ever sit down and decide to build a rugby club without starting up a game of touch once a week to bring people out of the woodwork and have a base. We just decided to make it happen. ‘Build it and they will come’ is the coin of phrase.”

Fielding their inaugural 2014 squad in the CRU’s third division league, the Highlanders senior men finished seventh out of eight teams with a 3-10 win-loss record.

However, Van Vliet measures the club’s success well beyond the number of wins and losses.

“We wanted to be competitive, we wanted to improve, we wanted to push, but the score line was never going to reflect in my mind what was going to make us a successful club,” he says. “For us to win three games against these well-established clubs with players [who] have never played the game … is a huge bonus.”

Building for a successful future has been a huge component for the AHYAA. Hosting youth training, rugby camps, jamborees and flag-rugby events during the summer, it attracted 100 mini-rugby players.

As well, the Highlanders fielded a ladies squad, drawing 20 women, which played exhibition contests.

According to Van Vliet, the organization is hoping to double that number next season while encouraging more people to pick up the game through regular winter indoor training at Genesis Place.

“We’re doing lots with grassroots in Alberta for young, mini and youth players,” he says. “This winter we are targeting trying to get people to come out and try rugby.

“I’m pushing the league to really create a green team – a league only for new adult players,” Van Vliet adds.

Encouraging more than just a Saturday game, the Highlanders are demonstrating the building blocks of an off-field camaraderie while cultivating a full-fledged rugby community.

Recognizing that a club-based atmosphere has played a historical role with the game, they hope to continue growing the sport with their club motto: “A place for everybody.”

“There literally is a place on a rugby team for any body shape, whether you’re small and squat or tall and thin or anywhere in between,” Van Vliet says. “No matter your athletic or social graces, no matter your background, no matter your age, you have something to contribute.

“I think it’s our proudest accomplishment this year that we have been able to attract these really well-intentioned, mature, fantastic-attitude, generous, kind people to a rugby club,” he adds. life

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life in the

community

Links leader

Going

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for the

Green

story by Jeff MacKinnon photo by Kurtis Kristianson

Young golfer aims to play with the pros

| winter 2014/2015

I

“He is a true gentleman to our entire team here.”

t is a dull, late summer day and it’s been spitting rain off and on for several hours. As a result there are only three people on the driving range and one of them is 17-yearold Patrick Murphy, who has put his bag down at the far end to spend a few hours mostly hitting draws.

Murphy long ago learned to hit long and straight but he’s been told by Stephen Ames, the Calgary-based PGA Tour star, that a good draw is the best way to hold the tougher greens on good United States courses.

Murphy will need to know that because in fall 2015 he will be heading to one of the top schools in the U.S. – UCLA – to study and continue his golf development. He hopes that will lead to a a professional career, and to suggest that Murphy is a potential PGA Tour player is not hyperbole. He has proven to be one of the top junior golfers in North America, so much so that he was approached by all the best U.S. schools, including Tiger Woods’ alma mater, Stanford University.

Murphy is proud to be the product of Crossfield’s Collicutt Siding Golf Club, which has been home to the Murphys since the family moved from Yellowknife, N.W.T., in 2002 when Patrick was five and began hitting balls on the range there. While private golf clubs typically greet children with the same sneer Judge Smails gave Al Czervik, young Murphy was instead greeted warmly. It probably helped that he was and remains a polite young man.

“Crossfield and Carstairs (Community Golf Club) were instrumental in his development,” says father John, who is principal at Airdrie’s Nose Creek Elementary School.“They were so welcoming.”

Adds Patrick:“They overlooked my age.”

Wherever he ends up, Patrick’s fondest memories in golf will likely always lead back to Collicutt Siding and Carstairs and playing with his dad and friends; or sitting between his dad and mom Gladys in a golf cart as a five-year-old during Sunday night family outings.

“There’d be junior night and I’d be playing with (current PGA Canada pro) Riley Fleming and (Crossfield’s) Hayden Cardinal and some of my buddies and I’d be thinking,‘Wow, this is so much fun!’” Patrick says. “Then my friend Carter

Thistle started playing and we’d go play and have fun. I’d play with different people and I’d play by myself. Every day I’d go out and have fun.”

Current Collicutt Siding head pro and general manager Lyndon King met Patrick in 2009 and says that he was immediately impressed by how the boy handled himself at the age of 12.

“He is a true gentleman to our entire team here at Collicutt Siding Golf Club,” King says. “Our members and guests are always asking how he and Riley are doing, where they are playing, and it is great to see how they will stand back and watch them hit balls, in total amazement.

“We all look forward to helping in any way possible and everyone is excited to see where he can go,” King adds.

Patrick spent the summer of 2014 working on his game at Glencoe Golf and Country Club in Calgary, which has an impressive practice facility. Competitively, he captured his third straight Alberta junior boys title and finished third at the Canadian juniors. Patrick also made several trips outside the country as a part of the Alberta Golf program.

In June, he broke his friend Fleming’s course record in Carstairs with a 10-under 62. That was less than a month after Fleming broke Patrick’s course mark in Crossfield.

“I’ll have to shoot a 59 to get it back,” Patrick says.

After graduating from W. G. Murdoch School in Crossfield at Christmas, Patrick is planning to spend the winter working on his game in Arizona. He will move to Los Angeles in the fall.

Like Canadian star Graham DeLaet, who always publicizes his ties to his small-town roots in Weyburn, Sask., if Patrick indeed goes off and becomes a star, he will always be associated with Crossfield.

“We chose to live in Crossfield because we love small towns and we find that there’s a positive energy there,” says his father.

Adds Patrick: “It’s the same with my school. It’s Grade 6-12 and there’s 335 kids and I know everyone by name.

“I go to Collicutt and everyone’s like: ‘Hey Patrick, how you doing? When’s your next trip?’ It’s a very positive environment,” he adds. life

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life in the

community

lifetimes

with Ellen Kelly

Column

Mrs. Fantastic T

F

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hree grandsons are over and we are playing Fantastic Four. I don’t know anything about these comic book heroes but my interest is piqued when one grandson tells me I can be the Invisible Woman. I’m a woman, she’s a woman, so it makes sense to him. I am thinking, How appropriate is that?

I am good at invisibility.

“So,” I ask,“What can I do if I’m the Invisible Woman? What are my powers?”

“You can be invisible,” he tells me. “You can make invisible boulders – but you can’t lift them. You have to get Thing (another member of the Fantastic Four) to move them for you.” He explains that Thing has superpowers and is much stronger than I am. I am unsure which snarling, growling grandson is Thing.

His brother and third Fantastic Four personality is the Human Torch, a hideous apparition that bursts into flames and fights with fire and super strength – definitely not skulking behind any invisibility cloak.

Then the grandson drops another bombshell. I am married to someone called Mr. Fantastic, the leader of the Fantastic Four. Ah well, Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Me, pretty much the story of my life.

But that isn’t entirely fair. It is difficult when your life partner’s chosen career is perceived as exciting and garners curiosity, often unwanted but there just the same. It is difficult carving out a personal identity while standing in the shadow of circumstance but, it seems, my own Mr. Fantastic and I have found a balance that works.

Publicly though, I have been referred to as “the wife,” “Kelly’s wife,” or “the missus.” Gaaagh. When introduced I extend my hand and say, “My name is Ellen,” but usually to no lasting avail. I avoid social situations where I am “the wife” – a.k.a. the Invisible Woman – and where I am expected to defer to the male unit of absolute importance and socialize with other invisible women who sometimes seem awfully content to be wrapped up in the cloth of their husband’s identity. Talk of spas and teething babies, recipes for fantastic things to do with kale and quinoa and the cost of tomatoes/baby formula make me yawn, and no one wants to hear about my dogs.

Now that both Mr. Fantastic and I are theoretically retired, the playing field has levelled and I have probably taken my role in this Fantastic Four game more seriously than is warranted. Still, next time I would like to be She Hulk or Wonder Woman, please. life

home life at 80 happy home

82 life & times 86 neighbourly

life at

home

renovation

The Win-Winn Renovations

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the master bedroom proved the favourite project – old fence boards from the yard were mounted on the feature wall and whitewashed. the funky barn door finishes the room.

the dining room feature wall was incredibly labour-intensive. sheila recalls filling gaps with her fingers.

the Winns removed a wall between the living room and kitchen, allowing light to flood the whole space. a rustic beam adds visual impact.

When sheila and Colin Winn decided on their new home, their realtor, Crystal Adamo, was flabbergasted, knowing their personal style and tastes. but the 1981 bungalow on eldorado road was a creative challenge for the couple interested in downsizing and eager for a home in an older part of the city, surrounded by plenty of mature trees. in less than 18 months most of the bungalow has been transformed into an airy modern home. Colin and sheila did all of the renos themselves except for hiring a plumber to install a sink. They estimate they are halfway through their budgeted $45,000 to complete the total renovation. here we share their drastic changes to the main living area and master suite. see more before photos at airdrielife.com

“We looked at new homes, but a new home is someone else’s idea of what a house should be. A reno is all your own ideas,” says sheila. The Winns hope to finish the remaining renovations over the winter months, including a total bathroom makeover.

Watch for part two on the Winns’ home makeover – featuring the backyard transformation – in our spring issue. life winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

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builder profile

story by Jeff KacKinnon | photo by Kristy reiMer

The Lifestyle Guarantee N

ot only will Lifestyle Homes guarantee the home the company is building for you will be made right, but Mike Holmes will, too.

The 20-year custom builder entered the Airdrie market at Cooper’s Crossing on Sept.

6 to become the lone builder in the city to offer in-writing inspections by an associate of the TV star, who always promises to “make it right.”

“Every home in Airdrie is Mike Holmes stage inspected,” says Lifestyle Homes area manager Breann Kostrosky.“A Mike Holmesapproved third-party inspector comes out three different times during the build. There’s full documentation of each inspection. They do a geothermal scan of the house. They do a lot of things above and beyond what the building code calls for.”

Having originated in Chestermere, Lifestyle Homes has also built in High River, Okotoks, Strathmore and southwest Calgary.

The company arrived on the Airdrie scene with two move-up showhomes – the brand new 2,861 square foot Verona, and The Mossberg, which is 2,410 sq. ft. and a couple of years old.

“The Mossberg is very, very popular,” says Cooper’s Crossing sales associate Jen Parker during a recent tour that highlighted the

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Cooper’s Drive homes’ southern exposure and sunny disposition.

The Verona is a 32-ft.-wide model with four bedrooms on the upper floor. The Mossberg is 30 ft. wide with three bedrooms up. Prices start at $550,000.

“Because we are a custom builder we can make custom changes to any of our floor plans as people see fit,” Kostrosky says. “We have very high standards and expectations.”

The Mike Holmes staging inspection program is something new to the company this year.

“We include it as a standard so it’s something that everyone who builds a Lifestyles Home gets to take advantage of,” says Kostrosky.

“They are given photo documentation and all the inspection reports, so not only do they know their home was built properly, but years down the road when they go to sell it they can give it to the (new) homeowner.

“It certainly keeps that value of retail nice and high,” she adds.

Lifestyle Homes is keen to let the new-home seekers of Airdrie know that while the company is new to the city, it is hardly new to the business.

“We want them to know that we didn’t just get created overnight,” says Kostrosky. life

From our family to yours...

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mcarthurfurniture.com winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com 83

photo courtesy of Qualico coMMunities

life at

home

developer profile

left to right: Qualico’s brandon reinhart, Camie Jones, linda rutledge, iona sentes, ryan mcKenzie and thomas Cherney know how to work together to build a community.

Raving about Airdrie by alex frazer-harrison

W

Qualico creates a neighbourhood that sets the bar

ith the responsibility of developing a brand new neighbourhood from the ground up, you’d think a company like Qualico Communities would have enough on its plate making Ravenswood in southeast Airdrie a reality.

But there is more to creating a community than filing building permits, says senior communications specialist Maribeth Janikowski.

“We believe in not just building houses and roads and parks; it’s about figuring out what people want in a community … as a result, we often get involved in the communities we’re building,” Janikowski says.

For example, for the past five years Qualico has been a strong supporter of Airdrie’s arts and culture scene, including hosting the AIRdirondack Gala, one of Creative Airdrie’s key events during ARTember. “During the summer, a number of artists were chosen and they painted and designed Adirondack chairs that were put up for auction,” says Janikowski. “A lot of our employees choose to go to that event … it gives us an opportunity to give back.”

Qualico also supported the Main Street art project in 2011, when schools and organizations painted boards that were put up around the former Old Hotel site.

“Most recently, we gave $50,000 to École francophone d’Airdrie (a new school in the heart of Ravenswood) for them to build a new

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playground and tot lot,” Janikowski says, adding that company volunteers came out to help build the playground, which officially opened in October.

When it came to choosing builders in Ravenswood, Qualico naturally turned to established names within the Qualico Group of Companies – NuVista, Broadview and Pacesetter – but it also partnered with longtime local homebuilder McKee Homes.

Janikowski says that Qualico appreciated the chance to work with a local company.“We love working with McKee Homes; they have been a great partner in Ravenswood,” she says.

With Ravenswood, Janikowski says, Qualico aims to create a neighbourhood that has something for everyone.“It’s a beautiful community,” she says, “and we’ve worked to give it a village-type feel, with walking paths, access to the centre of Airdrie, and because it’s on the south end of Airdrie it’s a quick commute to Calgary, but you still have that small-town feel.”

And while Qualico has been serving Calgary for 60 years, it is quite at home in Airdrie, with Thorburn and now Ravenswood under its belt.

“We’re in Ravenswood for a few more years,” Janikowski says, “and we’re looking for more options in the surrounding area.

“We like working in Airdrie and we love the community, so it would be great to stay,” she adds. life

winter 2014/2015 | airdrielife.com

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neighbourhood

longtime airdrie meadows residents Val hokanson (centre) and her family – (left to right) Jesse, sydney, ethan and her boyfriend’s son alex mallory (front) – enjoy a quick game of street hockey before the snow falls.

hoMe sweet hoMe story By aLeX fraZer-harrison | Photo By CarL PatZeL

V

al Hokanson is the first to admit that her family of six has outgrown the duplex in Airdrie Meadows they call home, but they wouldn’t trade their neighbourhood for the world.

Located just south of The Village and east of Main Street, Airdrie Meadows is a true inner-city neighbourhood, although when Hokanson’s house was built in 1978 there wasn’t much beyond. Even in 1998 when Hokanson, then pregnant with her first son, Jesse, relocated from Calgary, it was still close to the outskirts.

“There was no Luxstone, no Cooper’s Crossing, and nothing north of Veterans Boulevard,” says Hokanson, who works for a courier/transportation company in Calgary.

“When I found out I was pregnant with Jesse, I said I didn’t want to raise him in Calgary. I wanted him to be in a smaller community. We definitely had to be near a school, because I moved a lot as a kid and I didn’t want that for my kids,“she adds.

The duplex wasn’t one of the newer houses, but was rather a fixer-upper, “but it’s what we could afford at the time,”Hokanson says of her 1,400-squarefoot four-bedroom home a short walk from Main Street’s commercial area, the library, City Hall, Edmonton Trail and the original home of the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie, where her children spent many hours.

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Jesse, now 16, was followed by twins Ethan and Sydney (now 14), and Hokanson also shares the home with her boyfriend, Bill, and his son Alex, 10.

It’s a cozy fit, but Hokanson says that the neighbourhood’s location can’t be beat. “We’re only 10 minutes from everything,” she says. “The kids have friends in Luxstone and Cooper’s and they sometimes say, ‘Why can’t we live there?’ but I say we should feel lucky. If you want to go to the store, you just need to walk. It’s faster to walk than drive to Genesis Place. We don’t even hear the train.”

Hokanson and her children are very active in hockey (Mom played for the Airdrie Extractors before she moved to the Calgary Black Aces in order to better work her schedule around her children’s hockey), and the family even has a “hockey room” in the basement which showcases everyone’s memorabilia.

“We’re all hockey fanatics. [The children] formed their own [street] hockey tournament, and the area kids just all come out of the woodwork here to play,” she says, adding that this neighbourly feeling is like nothing she experienced in Calgary.

“This is a small town where you can be as individual as you want to be,” Hokanson says. life

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life at

home

showhomes

leighton great room, excel homes

Head for the hills More than just a name, Hillcrest was inspired by the community’s ideal location on Airdrie’s picturesque southern hillside. With natural topography, trees and viewpoints incorporated into the design, this unique community doesn’t attempt to shape its setting but rather to be shaped by it.

For those in search of a pace of life that is slower, but not stagnant, Hillcrest effortlessly combines modern luxury and classic charm while maintaining a strong connection to its tranquil prairie setting.

88 88 airdrielife.com airdrielife.com | | winter winter2014/2015 2014/2015

ambleside loft, excel homes

exteriors of (from top) the leighton, ambleside and fiesta showhomes

ambleside master bedroom, excel homes

fiesta master ensuite, shane homes

hillcrest rises above with new showhome parade in southwest airdrie toďŹ no living room, shane homes

toďŹ no kitchen, shane homes

winter winter2014/2015 2014/2015 | | airdrielife.com airdrielife.com

89 89

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column

gardenlife

with Lisa Silva

Winter Gardening

Most people consider winter to be dreary and don’t really want to think about gardening. However, there are tips you can use to help enjoy your yard and garden year round.

One way to add texture and colour in the winter is to plant evergreen trees and shrubs or perennial grasses. Evergreens stay green, blue or yellow when everything else is bare, and are great at protecting a house from wind and helping to reduce your heating costs. Grasses add texture and movement to the garden.

Another great way to winter garden is to decorate for the seasons.

Most people only think about putting porch pots out for the spring and summer. Why put them away when you can pull out the flowers and put in some green boughs and other accessories to dress up the front of your home? Decor is available in such a huge range of colours and styles and is a fun and easy way to change up the look of your home from season to season.

When winterizing your garden be sure to clean up all fallen leaves to prevent the spread of insects and disease in the spring.

Water all your plants really well in late fall as the ground is freezing.

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This will create an ice cube around the roots of your plants and help protect them from the freezing and thawing that our wonderful chinooks cause (especially important for newly planted trees that have been in the ground for fewer than two years). Also try to keep snow cover around the base of all plants as it acts as an insulating blanket, keeping them frozen. Chinooks create a challenge for gardeners because as the temperature warms up, so does the ground. If it warms up enough, the plants can actually awaken from their dormancy and start to bud and leaf, causing damage when things freeze up again.

Finally, keep your eyes open for rodents – voles, moles and mice – as they can hurt your lawn and young plants. They live under the snow and create paths, making your lawn really bumpy and causing damage to roots. The only way to prevent this problem is to find the homes of the rodents and destroy them. Rodents also enjoy chewing on younger plants to get nutrients, so wrapping the bottoms of the trunks with tree wrap will create a deterrent. If you do discover damage in the spring, rake up the dead grass and top dress with topsoil and grass seed. life – Lisa Silva is marketing manager with Blue Grass Nursery, Sod & Garden Centre

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life at

home

column

lifestyles

with tina McMillan, c.i.D.

KEEP CALM AND CRAFT ON!

L

ooking for new ways to decorate this winter? What gives you a warm fuzzy feeling more than bringing out that handmade quilt Grandma passed on to your family?

A new movement, called Rustic Decor, extols the longlost arts of knitting, crocheting and quilting.

Many crafting stores, such as Michaels, offer classes teaching these techniques to members of a generation who may have lost touch with the Baby Boomers. Social media sites such as Pinterest are fantastic resources for home-decor crafting ideas.

Some even offer step-by-step instructions.

Here are some simple and customizable projects that will fulfil your need to create and add a feeling of love to any room.

Glue guns at the ready!

FAbriC ArT-WAll pANels Wrap your favourite fabric pieces around artist’s canvas squares and secure at the back with either a staple gun or a glue gun. You can mitre the corners for a more polished and professional look. To preserve and protect your work of art, brush on two coats of decoupage medium. Groupings of odd numbers, (three, five or seven) are the most appealing to the admirer’s eye. Layering and colour blocking are ways to create visual interest and movement.

pAiNTeD sisAl ruG Purchase a plain natural sisal or jute rug. Then use stencils (remember those?) or masking tape to create a design/pattern and paint with an acrylic or latex medium. Choose bright primary colours for a dramatic and playful look in your kitchen or recreation room. Alternately, select softer pastels for a more subtle effect to reflect your style. pAlleT pieCes Have you seen those wooden slats that hardware and bigbox stores use to stack their products? These can be recycled into the following items: shelves, benches, frames, tables, wine racks, room dividers, privacy screens, mail sorters, coffee cup holders, welcome signs, porch benches, mirror frames, cabinets, buffets and storage boxes. Keep in mind that the wood is in an unfinished state and will need to be sanded depending on how the final product is to be handled.

Good luck, keep calm and craft on! life – Tina McMillan (a.k.a. The Decorating Diva) is a local interior designer, mother of two and wife of one, who has called Airdrie home for the past eight years

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life in the

moment

lifebuild

COLUMN

with Michelle Carre

Dream come true F

Michelle’s TOP FIVE must-haves in her new home: • A fabulous closet, so getting ready is the perfect start to the day • A customized kitchen that can store all your goodies exactly where you use them • An outdoor shower (yes, even in Alberta) • A steam shower for de-stressing and getting rid of colds • Character by way of finishings, built-ins and unique layouts

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or the last six months or so, my husband, Matt, and I have been going through the process of building our home. We built our “Forever Home” four years ago but it turned out that “Forever” was in fact “Four-Year.” We learned a lot during our first build and vowed to do certain things very differently and others exactly the same way (or close to it).

One of our “deal-breaker musts” was using a reputable builder. After a lot of research and meetings we ended up choosing Rykell Homes, with which we have been very happy.

The pre-planning took almost as long as the build itself. I love (I mean LOVE) architectural drawings and going through that design process. When I was a kid I would look at house plan books for fun!

Although I love the process, it isn’t quick. This time I was a lot more understanding of how long it would take and I knew it wasn’t as simple as sketching something on a napkin, handing it over and getting blueprints the next week.

I found choosing finishes a bit easier this time and I learned that I don’t need to see every single sample board of tile before choosing one. I learned to start with builder’s grade tile selections and see if I liked them. For the tile in the entry I knew I would be covering it up with a rug so I didn’t want it to be crazy expensive. I wanted the en suite to feel a bit more special, so I picked a builder’s grade tile for the floors and walls but chose something upgraded for the accent tile.

We said the first time that we wanted to put our money into the kitchen and en suite and we held to that same motto this time around.

I’m often asked if we have the same layout as the last house or if our finishings are all the same. As much as I loved the interior finishings and layout of our last house the answer is no. This is a creative process for me, so I like to change it up.

There are definitely features that are similar, but I loved the challenge of finding the perfect light fixture for the island and just the right flooring for the back entrance.

Building a house is a long and very involved process (and that’s when you have a great builder) but it’s so incredible to see a building go from two-dimensional drawings to a three-dimensional house. It’s literally a handmade product with thousands of man-hours. At the end of the build you have an incredible structure that reflects your family’s needs and personalities, and with your own touches that house becomes a home in which to live, love and grow. life

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work life at 106 Community leaders

100 above & beyond 104 smart Guys

life at

work

column

businesslife

with Kent Rupert

Business leaders give unselfishly of themselves

W

ith my role in economic development I am fortunate to work with many Airdrie businesses, ranging in size from one-person operations to corporations with 1,000+ employees. One thing that always fascinates me is how all these business continually give back to the community.

In Airdrie we are so fortunate to have strong, supportive, community-minded businesses that rally around the sick, raise funds for people who have lost their homes and provide support to both recreation and culture organizations and events, as well as dedicating their time and expertise to helping other businesses become successful.

For the last five years during Small Business Week, a local business leader has been recognized for not only his or her own personal business success, but for how she or he has gone above and beyond for the Airdrie community. These business leaders have supported sports, cultural and social organizations where there is a need in the community – such as Airdrie Food Bank, Airdrie Affordable Housing, Community Links – and one past business leader was even instrumental in helping Airdrie get its first ambulance. All of them, in their own unique ways, have helped build our community and make it one in which we can all be proud to live.

I believe that the reason why Dick Buchanan, Pat Cashion, Hugh Hamilton, Jim Hassett and Sherry Shaw-Froggatt (2014 recipient) have all been recognized as Airdrie business leaders is because they not only sponsor local groups and organizations, but they also give all of themselves to our great community – donating countless hours to volunteer on boards; being strong mentors to other local businesses; lending financial resources and expertise to events and initiatives. And, most importantly, they all involve themselves wholeheartedly for all the right reasons.

When asked why businesses give back to the Airdrie community they gave me such responses as “Because this is my home,” and “It is the right thing to do,” and as Hugh Hamilton stated, “You need to be thankful and appreciate the opportunities you have.” And all of these business leaders believe that it takes teamwork to make a community successful and that it is never just about them individually.

I would like to indulge a bit here and recognize this year’s Airdrie Business Leader Award recipient, Sherry Shaw-Froggatt, publisher of this magazine. Over the past several years we have seen local business involvement in the Airdrie arts community skyrocket. Airdrie has hosted such events as the 17-day ARTember festival, Art in the Park and the hugely successful AIRdirondack Gala. Sherry has been an important catalyst for developing the arts in our community, and this has helped Airdrie continue to become the modern and dynamic community we are, one that showcases and promotes residents’ unique and rich talents.

And while the Airdrie Business Leader Award has recognized these five very special business owners, we are fortunate to have many, many local business champions who give unselfishly to the community with little recognition or fanfare.

So next time you see a sponsor in a brochure or a company on a jersey or when you ask a business for a donation, remember that these people are doing it for many more reasons than just exposure for their company … and that they really do care about the community we all call home: Airdrie! life

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– Kent Rupert is team leader with Airdrie Economic Development

| winter 2014/2015

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life at

work

Corporate Living

Businesses that give back story by Alex Frazer-Harrison photos by Sergei Belski

When it comes to giving back to the community, many Airdrie businesses go above and beyond the call of duty.

Davis Chevrolet may be a name new to Airdrie, but it’s already made its mark, whether you enjoy a good parade, want help hosting an event or need the services of Airdrie Food Bank.

After decades serving Lethbridge, Fort Macleod and other southern Alberta towns, Davis Chevrolet took over the former Airdrie Motors dealership on East Lake Crescent a little over two years ago.

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Davis Chevrolet’s staff wasted no time getting involved in the community, and the company has supported many local sports and charitable causes in Airdrie – sponsoring Olympic speed skater Brianne Tutt; helping raise $1,200 in the 2014 Supplies for Success campaign to help children cover the costs of school supplies; putting its name behind the 2014 Alberta Summer Games.

“We believe that in order to be successful in the community, you need to be an integral part of the community,” says general manager Glenn Smaha.“All of us as employees feel we’re part of something that’s more than just a job.

And it’s not just financial donations.”

For example, if you are a community group wanting to hold an event, you can borrow a barbecue from Davis Chevrolet with a threeby-four-foot grill, perfect for church barbecues.

Davis also sponsors Airdrie’s Canada Day and Santa Claus parades, plus the Festival of Lights.

“We’re also involved with things like the Rotary Music Festival,” says Smaha.“I love getting the cards [from the children] when they win their scholarship or bursary.”

Smaha and his staff have also helped raise awareness of bullying by arranging and sponsoring anti-bullying presentations by Stampeders defensive tackle Randy Chevrier.

Glenn Smaha, Davis Chevrolet general manager, and his staff exemplify the concept of business giving back to the community.

“We offer that to local schools … Randy is a teacher by trade and can relate to kids of all ages,” says Smaha. “The [earlier] we can get at the kids, the better chance we have of correcting some of that behaviour. We’ve brought him to four schools in Airdrie this year and we hope to get him lined up for more.”

Davis staff members balance their community involvement with running a dealership that continues to grow.

Not long after introducing a new express service lane earlier this summer, the dealership marked its best month ever in August, Smaha says. “We’ve more than doubled our sales over the previous ownership,” he says.

Next up is a 6,000-square-foot maintenance facility three blocks away that will allow Davis to take care of maintenance and reconditioning of its new and preowned inventory, which in turn will increase the main dealership’s capacity for serving customers, Smaha says.

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Corporate Living

It’s amazing how far $4,200 can go toward providing support for at-risk youth in Airdrie and area. Just ask the Boys & Girls Club of Airdrie, recipients of funds raised by Airdrie’s Home Depot store earlier this year as part of the home improvement chain’s national Orange Door Project campaign.

“With Home Depot, our corporate focus is whatever community we settle in … we try to give back to the community,” says Sasha Baker, human resources manager with Home Depot Airdrie, which employs about 120 people.“We do a lot of things. September is our month of service, so we do little initiatives for whatever the community needs. We’ll volunteer our personal time and skills.”

In the past, Home Depot Airdrie staff members have rolled up their sleeves to help Habitat

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Airdrie Home Depot employees Jennifer Walker (left) and Sasha Baker are happy to be more involved in their community through such programs as the Orange Door Project.

for Humanity build homes here and in Calgary, and have undertaken other initiatives, such as supporting Airdrie Food Bank and other local organizations.

And as part of the Home Depot Canada Foundation’s national Orange Door Project, which saw customers invited to purchase little paper orange doors at the till for $2 donations, a total of $4,258 was raised earlier this year to support the local Boys & Girls Club.

The money raised will help support an outreach worker program for at-risk youth, says Denisa Sanness, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Airdrie, which provides services to youth throughout Rocky View County through its locations at 1003 Allen St. and the Ron Ebbesen Arena, and a satellite in Irricana.

“[Orange Door] is extremely important to us, because this campaign addresses youth homelessness and at-risk youth,” says Sanness, adding that the club provides support to approximately 100 young people every day.

“This helps us with intervention … we’re very grateful for it.”

Baker says that with all her employees from either Airdrie or the surrounding towns, odds are some of them have been or know of someone who has been helped by the Boys & Girls Club.

“Nothing compares to the feeling of being able to support the community you work in, and to help people who don’t have things as easy as you do,” says Baker. “That feeling of community pride and of giving back is a feeling beyond compare.” life

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business mentors

SMARTstart celebrates with brilliant finish story by Leona Esau | photo by Sergei Belski

T

wo years ago one of SMARTstart’s organizing partners, Bruce Tannas from Community Futures Centre West (CFCWest), said to me: “Have I got an idea for you.” That one comment was the birth of the Airdrie’s SMARTstart program. Building on CFCWest’s significant learnings from a small business training program it had just completed in Canmore, planning for a made-inAirdrie entrepreneur training program began.

The Airdrie Business Resource Partnership (ABRP) – consisting of representatives from the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, Bow Valley College, City of Airdrie Economic Development and CFCWest – took on the challenge and successfully developed and launched this distinctive training program in February 2014. SMARTstart is unique in that it combines online, 24-7 small business training from the GoForth Institute, with in-person training sessions led by local experts, and pairs each successful applicant with a local business mentor.

Nineteen entrepreneurs completed the inaugural eight-month training course. We received good feedback from them on what worked and what we can improve upon for the 2015 program. By far the most

The inaugural SMARTstart ‘graduating class’ is all smiles at the wrapup party of the eight-month program.

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beneficial part of the program was the mentor relationship. The commitment and time volunteered to the 2014 SMARTstart program by our 14 local business owners and leaders proved to be invaluable to our entrepreneurs. Many attribute their accelerated progress to the advice and guidance they received from this unique relationship. And we found out that this relationship is what makes this program truly unique among the thousands of other entrepreneurial training programs in North America.

We were also able to create a support group for new entrepreneurs and business owners. Connections made with other participants, mentors and local business resource people proved to be an added benefit for all participants. Starting and operating a new business can be incredibly lonely and overwhelming. Being part of this group showed our entrepreneurs that they are not alone. It demonstrated to them that even successful, seasoned business owners get overwhelmed and have feelings of doubt. And that, most importantly, the successful ones reach out and find the people, resources and skills they need to overcome challenges and successfully access the opportunities presented to them.

SMARTstart helped established businesses grow and expand far more quickly than they anticipated prior to entering the program. Dr. Melanie Beingessner, Blessingways Chiropractic Wellness Centre, purchased a new location for her practice. She attributes her ability to grow three years sooner than she had planned because of her relationship with her mentor and the doors it opened for her. We have many other smaller home-based companies that have seen a tremendous growth in their client base and the products/services they are offering – Nye’s Touch Sign & Airbrush Design, Ryno Structured Cabling Inc., Keep it Real Safety, and Hello Life Studio.

Tammy Block and Janine Hartsook entered the program eight months ago with just an idea; they will now be opening PUSH Cycle Studio later this year in Kingsview Market. They went from the idea stage to a commercial location in less than a year, and they attribute this to the knowledge, confidence and relationships gained from being part of SMARTstart.

Other entrepreneurs have had to put their business ideas on hold for the time being due to life circumstances. Some need more financing than anticipated, for some small ventures became bigger ones, and some huge ideas were scaled back into more manageable ones. We count these as successes, too, because no one risked it all and lost their house or savings on a new business venture that was flawed before it even got off the ground.

A big heartfelt thank you goes to our local business leaders who volunteered their time and expertise. Thank you also goes to my fellow organizing partners – Lorna Hunt, Airdrie C of C; Bruce Tannas and Jodie Eckert, CFCWest; and Linda Bruce, Bow Valley College (Airdrie). A special thank you also to our funding partners, City of Airdrie, CFCWest, ABRP, the Alberta Government and our sole private sponsor, BMO Kingsview Market. life for more information Application intake for the 2015 program runs until Dec. 6, 2014. If you’re interested in applying for the program or becoming a mentor, visit smartstartbusiness.ca or call Leona Esau at 403-948-8844.

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award-winning business

The Winning Edge 2014

by Alex Frazer-Harrison

Each year, the Airdrie Business Awards celebrate the diversity of this city’s business community.

The 17th annual awards gala was held Oct. 25 at Bert Church Theatre.

Selection committees spent weeks evaluating 126 nominations across four categories (representing nearly 60 individual businesses) before narrowing down their choices.

2014 Airdrie Business L e a d e r Awa r d : Sherry Shaw-Froggatt, Publisher, Frog Media Inc. Sponsored by the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, this year’s award honours Sherry ShawFroggatt who, beyond her work as publisher of airdrielife and Eat Play Stay Airdrie, promotes the cultural and social well-being of the city through such initiatives as the Creative Airdrie Society, which she founded and is currently vice-chair.

The Business Leader Award is presented for exceptional leadership in both business and the community.

“Sherry is one of those who helped raise the bar very high for community involvement in Airdrie,” says Chamber executive director Lorna Hunt, a member of the award’s selection committee. “She helps on so many levels – the business community, community development, and arts and culture, and very few people can stay active in all three areas.”

One of Creative Airdrie’s most accomplished initiatives, the ARTember festival, has become a true highlight of Airdrie’s cultural scene, Hunt adds.

Hunt’s committee received a record number of category nominations this year, she says, adding that these awards are valuable for raising awareness of Airdrie’s business community, not just with the public, but between businesses themselves.

W i n n i n g E d g e Awa r d : Jacqui Jepson, Owner, The Pink Wand Cleaning Services Ltd. Sponsored by the Airdrie Business Resource Partnership, this award honours a small business of at least three years standing which has exhibited outstanding achievement in innovative practices, customer service, growth and community involvement.

For the selection committee, which included last year’s winner and representatives of the City and local business, Pink Wand was the clear favourite, says Airdrie Business Awards chairperson Leona Esau.

“A key [criterion] was growth – [this business has] had such high growth over a short period of time,” says Esau.

In fact, Pink Wand has enjoyed a 267 per cent growth curve over the last three years, which has allowed the business to relocate to a larger location and increase its employee base to 30.

Customer service has been improved, thanks to implementation of an administrative phone line and a quality assurance job position.

The commercial and residential cleaning services company has also continued supporting non-profit organizations and families in need.

According to Esau, Pink Wand is a great role model for the more than 1,200 small businesses in Airdrie. “Jacqui is able to solve problems for people,” she says. “They come out with innovative ways to go in and clean houses and they provide great service.”

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You know someone amazing.

Amazing Promise

Amazing Courage

Amazing Leadership

and

present

the 5th ANNUAL

AWARDS

Amazing Determination

Amazing Heart

The nominations are pouring in for the 2015 Amazing Airdrie Women Awards. We want to hear about the amazing woman in your life. She is your wife, your sister, your mother, your daughter, your co-worker, your best friend, your neighbour, your coach, your student, your teacher, your inspiration.

Go online to airdrielife.com and tell us about her.

All nominees are featured in the spring issue of airdrielife.

Finalists will be announced April 6, 2015.

Recipients announced May 1, 2015, at the ď€ fth annual Amazing Airdrie Women Luncheon.

Nominations close Nov. 30, 2014.

life at

work

award winning business

Ec o E d g e B u s i n e s s Awa r d :

Stephanie Golding, Owner, Noodlebox The Eco Edge Award, sponsored by the City’s Environmental Services Board, honours businesses that go the extra mile in promoting environmental stewardship and sustainability.

The award has often gone to a business already connected in some way with environmental causes. For selection committee member Bob Blakeborough, owneroperator of Urban Expressions & Tire, this makes Noodlebox’s victory stand out.

“This business has nothing to do with [recycling, etc.], but they have orientated their business model to be environmentally sound. They’re taking it to a whole new level,” Blakeborough says.

Since opening a year ago, the restaurant, which focuses on Southeast Asianinspired dishes “with a healthy option for food on the go” has raised the bar by, for example, implementing its own composting and recycling program.

“A lot of their building materials are recycled materials,” says Blakeborough.

“They compost all their food waste and get their oil waste processed into biodiesel.

All their shrimp is Ocean Wise [certified]. They even use compostable utensils.”

Blakeborough says that he hopes Noodlebox’s award inspires other local businesses to become more sustainable. “The fact this business is so good at that, I hope it gets amplified,” he says.

Fa m i ly F r i e n d ly B u s i n e s s Awa r d : Wendy Bates-Wiebe, Owner, The Hair Lounge Inc. To win this award, sponsored by the Airdrie National Family Week Steering Committee, a business has to go the extra mile in being a fun place for families to visit, while also supporting the needs of its employees, at work and outside the workplace.

“We look at how they’re family-friendly to employees, to customers and to the community, and Hair Lounge had the edge in all three categories,” says selection committee member Laurie Jacob-Toews, community development services manager with Community Links.

From offering flexible hours to staff to offering a place for children while their parents get their hair cut, Hair Lounge (which also won the 2012 Winning Edge Award) goes “above and beyond” other businesses in fostering a positive work and customer environment, Jacob-Toews says.

She particularly notes Hair Lounge’s annual $10 Hair Cut Day event in support of the Airdrie Food Bank Breakfast and Snack Attack programs in local schools as a way the business gives back to the community.

“All the staff get involved, and it’s become a real community event,” says JacobToews. “You can see their passion in making sure [children] have a breakfast to start the school day.” life

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airdrie business awards 2014 nominees

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life

lasT look

SEEING THE LIGHT i’ve photographed the festival of lights a few different years in the past and last year was by far my favourite because we had some great warm winter days! when it’s really cold, a photographer has to deal with batteries freezing up, lenses fogging when going in and out of tents, and frozen fingers! This shot was taken of some of the lights on the puppet bus with the rest of the lights blurring in the background. The blur, or shallow depth of field, is controlled by lens aperture, focal length of the lens and distance to subject.

Shot on a Canon 5D MkIII with a 24-70mm f/2.8L lens at 70mm, 1/60 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1250 – kristy reimer, kristyreimer.com

have an image you think is worthy of a last look? send it to sherry@frogmediainc.ca

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