Sunrise Credit Union has donated $4,000 towards northern communities' evacuee support in the City of Brandon with a special initiative to help displaced families break up the monotony of hotel life and to better enjoy the Wheat City.
"When we first heard about the number of evacuees arriving in Brandon—initially around 300 and then growing significantly—we reached out to a local organization to see how we could help. One of the main concerns was making sure evacuees had things to do so they weren’t stuck in hotel rooms all day," shares Sunrise Marketing Manager, Heather Merckx.
The Sunrise team contacted the local group, Wiijiiwan, a network of Indigenous and Community Services to assist those evacuated to the City of Brandon from the northern communities.
"We recognized how scary and stressful this situation is and how important mental health is during times like this," continues Merckx. "Being away from home, family, and friends can be overwhelming. So, we came up with the idea of providing bus passes to help evacuees get around the city. The timing worked out well, as the Brandon Fair was starting, so we partnered with Team Brandon to split the cost—$4,000—for bus tickets and family passes to the Fair."
In total Sunrise gave out close to 110 city transit tickets and close to 150 families passes to the Summer Fair being held this week at the Keystone Centre grounds.
In addition to this, Sunrise offered to be a donation drop-off point in the city for items that can be helpful to the now close to 500 evacuees staying in Brandon.
"The response has been incredible," she says. "So many items have been donated that the organization has had to come back multiple times to pick everything up. The community support has been amazing - people responded immediately, with one of the first donations being children’s books. We were truly moved by how quickly and generously people acted."
"We’re so thankful to be able to help, and we’ll continue accepting donations until the end of the week at our Victoria Avenue location.
Merckx says the community of Brandon and Westman has really been wonderful, to bring a bit of joy during a very difficult time for these families.
"This is what being a credit union is all about—supporting our neighbors and members when times get tough," shares Merckx.
"We’re also challenging other local businesses to step up and help. The bus tickets we provided were gone in just 30 minutes and were so appreciated. More are definitely needed, so we’d love to see other businesses donate bus or fair tickets as well," she adds.
Sunrise Credit Union is accepting donations for the Northern Wildfire Evacuees at our Brandon location!
They are open from 9:00 - 5:00 Monday through Friday at 2305 Victoria Avenue, Brandon.
Items in need include:
- Seasonal Clothing
- Strollers
- Baby Items
- Toys, Games
- Snacks, etc.
- Bathing Suits
(photo credit Sunrise Credit Union)