On September 16th, gas purchased from Gardenland Co-op will fuel the whole community.
It’s Fuel Good Day, an annual fundraiser through which 5 cents from every litre of gas sold at Gardenland Co-op gas bars goes to a local nonprofit.
This year’s recipient
Brendan Froese, marketing manager with Gardenland Co-op, said that this year’s recipient is Regional Connections Immigrant Services.
“In past years, we've donated to ... school programs. We've donated to mental health initiatives,” he said. “This year, we're focusing on welcoming newcomers and Regional Connections' mission to help integrate people who have just arrived in Canada.”
'It doesn’t cost you anything extra to support a great cause’
Froese said that all the Gardenland Co-op gas bars, including Winkler, Morden, the Highway 14 truck stop, Plum Coulee, and St. Joseph, are participating in Fuel Good Day.
“We're inviting everybody — local businesses, members of the public — to come down and fuel up their tank,” he said. “It doesn't cost you anything extra to support a great cause.”
The marketing manager added that local organizations, including the Winkler Flyers and Regional Connections itself, will also make appearances for the special day.
“We'd love to see you at the gas bars tomorrow,” he said.
Helping build connections with the community
This year’s recipient of Fuel Good Day offers a variety of services to the community.
Rhoda Keck, the language program director at Regional Connections, has been a part of the organization for 20 years now.
She’s passionate about her work.
“I love people, I love culture, and I love travelling, so I have this opportunity to bring all that together and to help people in the process,” she said.
“That's what keeps me going for 20 years.”
Regional Connections’ programming that assists newcomers includes an ESL (English as a second language) course, a Manitoba literacy program, and childcare services, among many other things.
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Beyond teaching language, Regional Connections also assists with other aspects of transitioning to a new community and culture.
“It's very difficult. Not only the language piece, but literally everything else,” said Keck. “You walk into a building, and we have our set of cultural norms. We all understand it. We speak that non-language the same, but if you don't have that, it's [difficult].”
More than dollars
For Keck, the significance of the support that Co-op is showing Regional Connections goes beyond the funds that will be raised.
It sends another message, too.
“It's huge. You can't do ... anything really without the support of the community, and particularly our work where we're bringing newcomers into the community,” she said. “It would not work without community support, ... and on a very real level, the community supporting and accepting the people that are moving in and showing it in such a tangible way — it means everything.”
Participate in Fuel Good Day in the Pembina Valley on September 16th.
With files from Ty Hildebrand