Daily Herald
The Arbor Memorial Foundation which encompasses Gray’s Funeral Chapel, River Park Funeral Home and Prince Albert Memorial Gardens, made a donation of the sum of $5,000 to the Mont St. Joseph Home on Thursday during the home’s last Christmas lunch for residents.
“It’s really heart warming for us to be able to do this, especially at this time of the year as we move to the holiday season,” said Lisa Bos-Atchison, a representative of Arbour Memorial Foundation. “We have always been looking for ways to contribute to society. It’s really exciting that we were able to present this today.”
Austin Atchison, another representative of Arbour Memorial said they were elated to be giving back.
“It feels better to give than to receive,” he said. “It feels nice that we are able to do this at Christmas time. It’s just a gift from us to the people in the home.”
The choice of the recipient was not difficult to make, Austin said.
“Mont St. Joseph Home is doing a fantastic job in the city here and the surrounding area, making sure that our residents who are here are cared for,” he explained. “We have known Wayne (Nogier) in Rotary (the Rotary Club) and have seen how he carries himself in the community and in business and as a friend.
“Moreover walking in here one will see the multigenerational approach he has adopted here and it’s fantastic for families here in Prince Albert. It just makes sense for us to want to give back to our community.”
Lisa said when considering applications, they looked to organizations that support seniors,or provide healthcare and mental health services.
“For us, it was important that Mont St Joseph provides a home like environment,” she explained. “Doing so shows they care for our multigenerational individuals in our community and surrounding areas. It’s close to our hearts.”
The Mont St Joseph Home houses about 120 residents and attends to the needs of both the elderly, the young and special needs people.
“It’s amazing for us,” Mont St. Joseph Home CEO Wayne Nogier said when asked about the donation. “Arbour Memorial is such an amazing partner in the community. They reached out to us earlier in the month and expressed their interest to make a donation from the foundation. They asked us what we had going on at the home right now. Our residents’ family Christmas Party is a major part of the fabric that we are as an organization.”
Nogier said the funds will go towards three Christmas parties the home throws for residents and their families.
“We try to make life normal for people living in our organization,” Nogier said. “We have got a really great relationship with Arbour Memorial that they are part of our community. We pride ourselves on being a community organization. We are so much more than just a special care home. (We are) part of the fabric of Prince Albert and they are also part of that Prince Albert fabric.
“The Christmas party is a large cost to the organization and our residents don’t bear the cost, so the funds will go directly to providing this type of atmosphere to the 120 residents that live in Mont St Joseph home,” he added.
