Faith brings out the best in us

Faith brings out the best in usThose with faith are far more likely to help their fellow man By Ray Pennings and Andrew Bennett Christmas is one of the few times in Canada that religion makes a public appearance. Nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus Christ pop up on lawns. Radio stations belt out sacred music among generic holiday tunes.…

Christmas Bingo Extravaganza supports 46 Alberta charities

Christmas Bingo Extravaganza supports 46 Alberta charitiesCastledowns Bingo Association is holding a $30,000 bingo event to support Alberta charities through their annual Christmas Extravaganza. And one lucky bingo player will take home the amazing main prize Bonanza of $10,000! Tickets are getting scarce, so if you are interested, act now. The excitement takes place on Dec. 17 in Edmonton with the…

Give a hoot and support the Great Canadian Birdathon

The Great Canadian Birdathon is designed to raise much-needed funds to protect Canadian birds

Give a hoot and support the Great Canadian BirdathonOne of the biggest challenges birds face is the journey north each spring. Migration is rife with obstacles to survival. This spring is especially problematic due to the cold and wet weather we’ve had. Birds that rely on insects to fatten up for the migration face unprecedented challenges as snow, rain, wind and very cold…

The forgotten legacy Claudette Bradshaw left to New Brunswickers

The Bradshaw Report attempted to look at the working conditions and benefits levels in non-profits

The forgotten legacy Claudette Bradshaw left to New BrunswickersThe recent death of former federal cabinet minister, and community activist, Claudette Bradshaw provides us with the opportunity to re-examine one of the very rare attempts at looking at the working conditions and benefits levels in the non-profit sector in New Brunswick. The Bradshaw report is a forgotten legacy left to the people of New…

The real work of Christmas begins after Christmas

The season of giving should remind us how to live the rest of the year

The real work of Christmas begins after ChristmasThe company has gone. The tree flops sadly at the curbside. The decorations are stowed away for another year. As we resume our normal activities, the feel-good generosity and goodwill of Christmas fade. With the Salvation Army kettles out of sight, the needs of others are out of mind. Howard Thurman, an African American whose…

Religion matters more than ever in the age of COVID-19

Houses of worship are as much an essential service for our physical needs as grocery stores

Religion matters more than ever in the age of COVID-19Springtime – which includes observances like Easter, Passover and Ramadan – seems a good time to bust the popular Canadian myth that religion is a completely private, personal matter with little relevance for broader Canadian society. New evidence from the Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with the think-tank Cardus, indicates the opposite is true: religion…

World’s Longest Hockey Game moving cancer research closer to goal

Annual fundraising effort to support clinical trial of precision drug developed at U of A

World’s Longest Hockey Game moving cancer research closer to goalAs 40 local hockey players brave the elements on an outdoor rink just outside Sherwood Park, Alberta for the World’s Longest Hockey Game, they’ll be making a difference in the lives of cancer patients in Edmonton. Over the course of more than 10 days and nights of non-stop shinny, the game, which began on Feb.…

Let charities care for the needy in society

Governments inevitably make a mess of social welfare programs, wasting money, discouraging work and encouraging dependence

Let charities care for the needy in societyLong before the COVID-19 recession, the generosity of Canadians, measured by charitable donations, was already steadily falling. From 2008 to 2018, the percentage of tax-filers donating to charity fell from 24.1 per cent to 19.4 per cent. And the percentage of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.62 per cent to 0.54 per cent.…

Keeping the Christmas spirit alive beyond the festive season

The Christmas spirit only asks us, as Mother Teresa famously said, that we “do ordinary things with great love”

Keeping the Christmas spirit alive beyond the festive seasonWith traditional ways of celebrating on pause, Christmas 2020 was definitely one for the books. Despite COVID-19 – or maybe even because of it – I, and many people I know, celebrated the Christmas season well. As one of my good friends remarked, COVID-19 didn’t spoil her Christmas. She mused that she made new memories;…
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