A local store is using a national campaign to raise funds for Foothills-area health initiatives. The Growing Women’s Health program (formerly called the Tree of Life) runs at Shoppers Drug Marts across Canada, and each store can direct funds raised at the till towards a charity of their choice that supports women’s health. “It is all going 100 per cent local for women’s health,” said Okotoks Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist/owner Bob Brown. Every dollar raised through the sale of animated leaves in Okotoks until Nov. 2 goes toward the Sheep River Health Trust, he said. A small leaf can be purchased with a $2 donation, and maple leaves are worth $5. Donations can also be customized to suit any amount someone wants to give, he said. This is the 14th year Shoppers Okotoks has worked with the health trust, he said. Typically the campaign raises between $1,000 to $3,500, he said. “Over the 13 years we’ve run it already we’ve contributed more than $25,000 to the Sheep River Health Trust,” said Brown. Tanya Thorn, fund development officer for the Sheep River Health Trust, said without the donations brought in from the Growing Women’s Health initiative, there are some programs and projects the health trust wouldn’t be able to support. “We probably wouldn’t even look at the funding for these things because we wouldn’t have the dollars to support them,” said Thorn. “So funding from programs like this allows us to go out and offer the opportunity for funding for these initiatives.” Over the last 13 years the health trust has been able to support Moms and Tots programs in Okotoks as well as putting money towards public health programs supporting women’s health and an ultrasound machine, and doing projects with Rowan House Emergency Shelter, she said. “If we didn’t have these funds those wouldn’t even be on the radar at all,” said Thorn. “The more people come in and support us through shopping at Shoppers and deciding to buy a leaf gives us the funds to be able to do things in the community and the more we can do. “Every dollar that’s raised there we put back into the community. So it’s being spent locally and it’s being put back into health and wellness locally.” [email protected]
