The Well Endowed Podcast

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we go into our archives to bring you a story about two incredible community builders in our city.

Nunu Desalgne and Hayat El-Ossmani were recognized for their community work at the 2022 RISE Awards. The RISE Awards are presented by Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers to recognize immigrant success in Edmonton. Hayat and Nunu received The Community Leadership Award, sponsored by Edmonton Community Foundation. This award recognizes newcomers who demonstrate a commitment to community engagement, with the goal of creating a more welcoming and inclusive community for all.

Since 2003, The RISE Awards have celebrated newcomers who have built strong communities through social, cultural and economic development.

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

The post EPISODE 162-RISE REPLAY appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

February 27th is International Polar Bear Day. On this episode, we’re putting on our parkas and heading out to learn about these majestic creatures.

We’ll meet Dr. Andrew Derocher, a polar bear biologist from the University of Alberta to see how polar bears are faring in a changing Arctic, and we’ll hear from Dianne Johnstone one of the founders of the Johnstone-Wright Polar Bear Fund at Edmonton Community Foundation.

This very special fund supports education, research and conservation efforts for polar bears and other Arctic species.

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Learn more about Dr. Derocher’s research.

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

The post EPISODE 161 – KING OF ICE & WATER appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

On this episode, we go back into our archives to present a replay of our look at how bias in data gathering can impact representation of communities. Our guest producer, Emily Rendell-Watson, speaks with three incredible community members with experience in data research, urban planning and activism.

This story originally aired in 2022 while ECF explored the history of racism through its annual Vital Signs initiative. Vital Signs is a check-up to see how the community is fairing on various issues. This work is done in collaboration with Edmonton Social Planning Council and with guidance from a dedicated committee made of people with lived experience.

Through this work, the Committee working on this project learned that there are still many people and communities who are not included in a meaningful way through typical data gathering processes.  These gaps can leave people feeling unheard and unseen.

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Check out Edmonton Social Planning Council’s report, Confronting Racism with Data: Why Canada Needs Disaggregated Race-Based Data. 

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

The post EPISODE 160 – RACE-BASED BIAS AND DATA REPLAY appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

On this episode, our correspondent, Danielle Paradis introduces us to Kyle Dubé, the executive director at YOUCAN Youth Services. Kyle tells us how being relentless can make a difference.

YOUCAN helps young people out of harm’s way, and onto a path of economic independence. They do this through a series of programs that empower healthy decision-making.  They also help youth to return to school and enter the work force with training and skill development.

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

The post Episode 159 – YOUCAN Youth Services appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

In February 2023, Betty and George Screpnek created a fund to celebrate their son, Wade, on his 50th birthday. It is the Wade Screpnek Speech Therapy Fund, and it will assist families with the cost of accessing speech therapy.

On this episode, we meet Betty Screpnek, donor, and Janet Tryhuba, executive director of Edmonton Down Syndrome Society. They show us how vibrant communities are built  when we support and celebrate each other for who we are.

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

The post Episode 158 – The Wade Screpnek Speech Therapy Fund appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

Boyle Street Community Services has been supporting people experiencing homelessness and poverty since 1971. And for many of those years, it was operating out of a dilapidated facility on 101st Street and 105th Avenue.  

In late 2021, Boyle Street announced it was purchasing a new building a few blocks north of their original location and they were getting set to break ground on okimaw peyesew kamik, which is Cree for The King Thunderbird Centre.  

But what was supposed to be a rather straight forward move began facing major hurdles, first with building permit issues, then community backlash and that was only the beginning.   

On this episode, we speak with Jordan Reiniger, Executive Director of Boyle Street Community Services, to get an update on okimaw peyesew kamik and what’s next for Edmonton’s inner-city communities. 

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

The post Episode 157 – King Thunderbird appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

On this episode, our correspondent Theodora MacLeod introduces us to the very talented AV (Ann Vriend). We learn about the inner-city has shaped her music, and how one front-porch in the neighbourhood of McCauley has brought people together.

AV was a recipient of a 2022 Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award. The Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund (EATF) is a joint initiative of Edmonton Arts Council and Edmonton Community Foundation.

It invests in the creative community by supporting living and working expenses, allowing exceptional local artists to devote time to their artistic career. It also encourages artists to stay in the Edmonton community.

The EATF just celebrated their 25th anniversary on November 20th, when it awarded 25 new recipients for the award.

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

The post Episode 156 – AV and the Inner City appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

On this episode, freelance producer Emily Rendell-Watson explores new innovations in local agriculture that could impact the future of food security in Edmonton. 

Food security is the topic for our 2023 Vital Signs report. Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) and Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) have partnered to create this report, and we’ve learned a lot about food in our city. 

In our previous episodes, we’ve talked about food security over the past 10 years and where we are today.  We also looked at how food is more than just basic survival – it brings communities together so we can thrive.  

Today, we look at how innovations like hydroponics and community growing could impact the future of food security. 

You can hear our previous episodes on food security in Edmonton here:

Vital Signs:

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

Transcripts by Karli Drew.[/vc_custom_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Episode 155 – Entangled appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

On this episode, we meet Eric Rice, Eric recently created the Edmonton Affordable Housing Maintenance Fund here at ECF, to support people experiencing housing or income insecurity.

Eric has been involved in housing and homelessness in various ways over the years. It is a complex and overwhelming issue, and the people experiencing houselessness are often met with stigmatization and judgement.

With an issue this big, it’s hard to know how we as individuals can make a difference. That’s one reason Eric began his fund, and why he continues to be active with organizations that are working to end homelessness.

Eric’s fund will launch on November 22nd, at the film screening of “Push: The film – The Shift (make-the-shift.org)”, a new film from director Fredrik Gertten. The event will be hosted by the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness. The film looks at how rising housing prices all over the world are creating cities that are too expensive to live in.

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The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

Image for this episode provided by Lisa Pruden.[/vc_custom_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Episode 154 – Innovative Agriculture appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.

On this episode, we learn about how the Canada Cultural Investment Fund (CCIF) matches endowment donations to create a sustainable funding source for arts organizations like Edmonton Opera and Ukrainian Shumka Dancers + Shumka School of Dance.

CCIF is a program created by the Government of Canada. Their Endowment Incentives component provides matching funds to endowments that support professional performing arts organizations.  ECF became a partner in this component in 2001. Since then, we’ve partnered with 21 local arts organizations to grow or start endowment funds that are held here at ECF. 

These participating organizations raise or contribute donations toward their endowment funds, and ECF co-applies to CCIF for those donations to be matched.  Since starting, we have raised over $21 million in donations with our partners. And have successfully received over $15 million in matching grants from the CCIF program. 

That means that since 2001, we have built over $36 million of endowment, creating a sustainable funding source that will support local arts far into the future. 

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Upcoming Student Awards:

The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation.

Image for this episode is courtesy of Ukrainian Shumka Dancers + Shumka School of Dance.

Transcripts by Karli Drew.

The post Episode 153 – Investing in the Arts appeared first on Edmonton Community Foundation.