Mundare Funshine Daycare celebrates 10-year anniversary

BY JANA SEMENIUK

Current and former staff for the Mundare Funshine Daycare spent the day July 20th celebrating their first decade in business.

Owner Shannon Kowal said she doesn’t view Funshine as a business, but rather providing a service the town really needs.

“I've never run the daycare as a business persay, but it was always just something that I knew was needed,” she said.

“It was something the community needed and loves.”

Kowal, also a local realtor, was approached by the daycare’s former owner in 2013 around finding another owner for the new business.

“It was started by a lady that had a huge centre in Fort Saskatchewan.

She was operating for a few months and found it tough to try and manage both centres,” she said.

“She (told me) you have a month to either find me a buyer or I'm closing my doors.”

Kowal had two young daughters at the time, and was operating her realty business from home.

“I just saw so many the benefits of the daycare and (I thought) I can't let this daycare close,” she said, adding she approached several people who she thought might be a good fit but no one was willing to take it on.

“I literally gave it barely any thought at all, (and) looking back now I can't believe it. But I just jumped in with two feet and said, I guess I'm buying it. And I went to my lawyer and I said, I'm just going to buy her out.”

Since then, Kowal’s daycare has moved from the basement of the National Hall into a brand-new building built during a period where the lots in Mundare sold for $1.

Kowal said the number of children enrolled in the daycare has since ballooned from 12 to 40.

“We employ about a dozen staff, and not just staff with kids but also cleaning staff that come at the end of the day,” she said.

Today, Kowal said she is proud of the daycare and enjoys seeing how it has benefited the community.

“We attend the library weekly, we go to the seniors’ lodge, and we attend school (events) like Remembrance Day,” she said.

“When you walk into the daycare it’s such a happy place. The kids are just always happy and what it’s done for the community (is great).

The town has been very welcoming and receptive.”

10 Years In The Funshine

Property #1 Cabin - Selling a 23 1/2' x 13' Cabin with a 13'x10' Loft to be Moved. Sells with a Separate Bedroom, Bathroom as well as Hardy Board Siding, Electrical Wiring, Heat & Air. For More Information contact the owner at 780-208-8687

Property #2 Selling the Former Two Hills Hardware Store with All Contents Street Address: 4906 47th Ave

Legal Address: Lot 7 & 8, Blk 2, Plan 709EO

The Property Contains 3 Building, However Due to the Condition of the Building, the Purchaser is Fully Responsible for Inspecting the Property.

2023 Taxes: $5,614.65

For Viewing Please Contact Peter at 780-657-1026

Real Estate Transactions are being Handled by Morrison Realty - Kim Hughes (403) 704-3141 & Allen Olson (403) 783-0556

Owner's Phone Number 780-657-1026 or 780-208-8687 Real

Forfeited as Liquidation Damages. All measurements are approximate and need to be verified by the purchaser.

By Hazel Anaka

According to dictionary.com the first definition of the noun ‘stereotype’ is: “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group: Cowboys and Indians are American stereotypes.”

Stereotyping something or someone can be a lazy and inaccurate way of defining that thing or person. That’s true when we do it and when someone does it to us. If you’ve ever been stereotyped as a Millennial, a Boomer, a little old lady, a farmer, a bureaucrat, a Ukrainian, a first-born, a ne’er do well, a politician, a scoundrel, a used car salesman, or a million other descriptors, you know just how wrong the preconceived notion may be.