Healing hearts of humanity help during crisis

Carillion employees, along with their family members, friends, and other local residents were kept busy most of last week collecting and transporting donations for evacuees of the Fort McMurray Wildfire. Pictured from left to right are: Sudhar Stanislus, Director of Contract Management, Equipment Operator Alex Cartagena, and Shop Foreman Vince Vandale. There are many more local heroes who are pitching in whatever resources they have available to them to assist the victims of the massive wildfire that has driven thousands and thousands of people from their homes. — Carillion employees, along with their family members, friends, and other local residents were kept busy most of last week collecting and transporting donations for evacuees of the Fort McMurray Wildfire. Pictured from left to right are: Sudhar Stanislus, Director of Contract Management, Equip-ment Operator Alex Cartagena, and Shop Foreman Vince Vandale. There are many more local heroes who are pitching in whatever resources they have available to them to assist the victims of the massive wildfire that has driven thousands and thousands of people from their homes.

Christopher Hopkins is the kind of guy who’d give you the shirt off his back.

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In fact, he gave that and a whole lot more this past week to victims of the Fort McMurray wildfire that drove over 80,000 people out of their homes.

Hopkins partner Shanda-Lynn Kimball told the Lamont Leader that he gave up his room at camp for a family who drove through the flames to safety. On the way home from camp, Hopkins saw people crying, stranded in their vehicles and on the side of the road. “It was heartbreaking.”

But long before Hopkins arrived home in Lamont, he devised a plan to bring food, water, and diapers back up Highway 63 to the families who were waiting for any kind of help they could find.

They found help in Hopkins, as well as Kimball, who posted a message on the Lamont Buy & Sell site asking for donations. Kimball also decided to take a trip to Fort Saskatchewan to get provisions while other generous families dropped off donations on their door step. Hopkins arrived home at 12 noon, and by 1 p.m. the supplies were loaded up and he was on the way back up the highway headed north.

Alex Cartagena was so inspired by what Hopkins had done that he asked his boss Vince Vandale at the Carillon shop in Lamont if they could provide assistance as well.

“I asked Vince what could we do, and social media took over after that. It didn’t take long before folks were going door to door and dropping off items at the parking lot of the Lamont arena last Wednesday evening. KC, the owner of Lamont Foods, and his staff pitched in to make sandwiches and sent bananas, apples, water, and diapers with Alex and Vince who drove the shipment up to a reception centre in Plamondon.

Donations continued to pour in from residents and businesses in the community in the days that followed. Even Kraig Tychkowsky, and fellow friends Danny Sims and Natasha Oar, went around town with a wheelbarrow collecting donations. Jodie Derksen and Rob Thrower, who reside in the Village of Chipman and serve on the village’s fire department, also rounded up donations over the course of the week.

During a visit to the Carillon shop late Thursday afternoon, more donations were being dropped off there.

“My wife Andrea is going around town collecting donations,” said Alex. He describes the situation as a chain reaction, and was also grateful to Kirk Perrin who manned the phone during the day.

Also stopping in with donations were Jen and Nick Taylor, who offered to collect donations from residents in the county who were not able to come to Lamont to donate. Alex and Vince said the warmth and support that was extended to them gave them the extra energy they needed to keep pushing the donation campaign further. “There’s a lot of support from everyone. I guess everyone’s a hero,” added Alex.

Both Alex and Vince made another trip up north to Lac La Biche, and they also planned to make a trip to one of the distribution centre’s in Redwater at press time.

Other people who made a difference included the Town of Bruderheim, Lamont County FCSS, Lamont & District Chamber of Commerce, Andrew School, and the Mundare Fire Department.

Michelle Pinon
Editor