Dollars for Doers: Stantec employees volunteering out in the community

We care about our employees and our employees care about the communities they live and work in. That’s why we support employees who volunteer in their communities. Our Dollars for Doers program has helped the organizations and charities they volunteer with since 2016. The program encourages employees to volunteer their personal time with local charities and boosts the value of charitable contributions with a $500 cash donation from Stantec.

Here are some examples of our amazing employees volunteering in their communities.

Empowering Indigenous girls through Stardale Women’s Group

Stardale Women’s Group strives to provide a space where Indigenous girls feel comfortable to express their feelings, past experiences, and traumas. Through programs and services, Stardale Women’s Group has empowered the lives of Indigenous girls, strengthened their families, and helped overcome systemic barriers for over 25 years—helping girls considered at-risk develop life skills, build confidence, and connect to their traditions through music, art, and involvement from elders and Indigenous leaders within the community. The girls also receive educational supports including homework sessions, tutoring, and connection between Stardale’s staff and the girls’ schools and teachers.

Erin Bradley, vice president, discipline leader – Indigenous Partnerships, has been volunteering with this organization since September 2021. “As a driver, every Monday I pick up girls from their homes, assist with the evening’s activities, and return them back home,” Erin said. “I also recently became a mentor to one of the young ladies and meet with her once or twice a month one-on-one to provide that additional layer of support.” The girls have been learning Indigenous drumming songs and working on the Hope Project, which combines elements including visual art, poetry, and a short film.

“I feel very grateful to be part of this community,” Erin said. “It links strongly to my work and is an important component of my own reconciliation journey. These girls are in my heart in a big way!”

Mentoring kids with Partners in Routt County

Partners in Routt County started in 1995 when a group of locals and youth services professionals came together to form a grassroots committee intent on creating a mentoring organization in Routt County, Colorado. The goal was to address local youths’ high risk behaviors related to substance abuse, interpersonal disputes, and lack of protective factors. Today, they serve over 200 youth every year through their programs.

Carrie Sabin has been a mentor for kids in a variety of programs since 1991, serving as a friend, advocate, and role model. She’s been mentoring her current mentee, also known within the organization as a junior partner, since 2013. “I’ve always believed in the power of mentoring and love that programs such as these allow for a deep, one-on-one relationship with a child,” Carrie said. “Beyond working with my junior partner, I have also gotten to know his family and friends.”

Being a mentor also allows Carrie to connect to a broader community and make sure her junior partner doesn’t slip through the cracks. “It also lets me focus on the needs of a super cute kid,” Carrie said. “I’m able to help him with schoolwork, make sure he has enough to eat, advocate for his needs at school, and expose him to celebrations and experiences his family can’t afford.”

With hands-on opportunities and long-term connections, Carrie’s experience has brought her great joy.

Spreading awareness for the Arthritis Society of Canada

The Arthritis Society of Canada (ASC) is Canada’s national charity dedicated to extinguishing arthritis through research, advocacy, innovation, information, and support. Over two million Canadians can access trusted information and over 62,000 people receive direct or one-on-one support through ASC’s education and information programs—and with $3.6 million invested in research, ASC will not give up their efforts until everyone is free of the scorching pain of arthritis.

Pamela Butvin, Associate in the Calgary, Alberta office, volunteers with ASC. “I did a lot of online research on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) following my diagnosis in 2017,” Pamela said. “I went down several rabbit holes and found there is so much misinformation online. After attending a number of learning sessions for people living and coping with RA and speaking with professionals, I found a couple of reliable online resources—the Arthritis Society of Canada is one of them!”

Pamela became a consumer panelist for ASC in 2019 and has been volunteering for the last three years. Her role is to provide feedback based on her lived experience to researchers and innovators who are working hard to find a cure for RA. “Living with RA also means living with anxiety about how inflammation and the medication that controls it can potentially impact eye, organ, and overall systemic health of your body,” Pamela said. “The Arthritis Society is a national charity with a mission of research, advocacy, innovation, information, and support. I appreciate the opportunity to give back in a meaningful way.”

Reaching out to others in Pamela’s RA community through volunteering has helped her cope with living with RA. “By accepting my condition, I learned how others manage living with a chronic condition and I don't feel so alone.”

Supporting families at the Child Cancer Foundation

The Child Cancer Foundation is dedicated to helping families in New Zealand who have kids with cancer. Their kaupapa, or policy, is to ensure that every family going through this unimaginable situation has someone there to support them at a time when they need it most.

Megan Stephens, business services marketing in our Nelson, New Zealand office has been volunteering with the Foundation since 2015 when her daughter, Gabby, was diagnosed with a rare incurable disease. Gabby was diagnosed at the end of 2014 and the Foundation contacted Megan within a few days to offer support. Support came in many forms including grocery hampers, petrol vouchers, and support with travel when their family had to relocate to another city and hospital for a bone marrow transplant. “I think most importantly,” Megan said, “is that the Foundation connected us with other families who were, or had been, in a similar situation to us.”

Megan has always been involved on committees for organizations centered around children. After Gabby’s diagnosis, Megan needed to step back from those commitments. “When Gabby was through the main part of her treatment and bone marrow transplant, I was ready to get involved in the community again,” Megan said. “Child Cancer Foundation seemed like the obvious choice after all they had done to support us.”

Through volunteering at the Foundation, Megan has met wonderful families and has loved being able to reciprocate the support her family received. “As the chairperson of the Parent Connect Group, I organized and facilitated up to ten social events for parents and families each year,” Megan said. “The organization is very supportive, and I’ve had the opportunity to meet with volunteers from all over New Zealand, be involved with the marketing and promotions team, shared our story at fundraising events, organized many fundraising events over the years, and helped manage annual street appeal in our region each year.”