August 2020 E-News

The Children’s School Supplies Backpack Drive for Indigenous Students!

This month CPYF hosted our first ever backpack drive for Indigenous students attending schools in Calgary! On August 28th, over 350 students received backpacks stuffed with essential school supplies, such as pencils, lunch kits, and report covers, along with healthy snacks to give them a great start to the new school year. We were also able to provide each student with a grocery card and food pack to ease the financial burden many families face at this time of the year. 

We want to thank the Calgary Police Service, Diversity Resource Unit and Youthlink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre for their support with this initiative, and all of our hard-working and enthusiastic volunteers that helped assemble and hand-out the backpacks with supplies at the drive through event held at Westwinds CPS HQ.

This campaign would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors and donors, including: TC Energy, Canadian Natural, TD Securities, Servus Credit Union, Keyera, Imperial, Strike Group, Staples and I Can for Kids!

Our K9 Calendar Launch has Gone Virtual!

In order to keep our guests safe and healthy, the 2021 Calgary Police Service Canine Calendar launch will be going virtual this year! Tune in to hear from Chief Constable Neufeld, see live canine demonstrations, and meet a few of the 2020 Chief Youth Courage Award recipients who have had a lived experience from one of the six Programs funded by the Calgary Police Youth Foundation!

This is also a very special year, as we will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Calgary Police Service Canine Unit. As a special treat, each calendar will also include a commemorative poster highlighting past CPS Canines!

Be sure to follow along on our social media channels for all of our launch updates and exclusive offers!

Date: October 5th, 2020

Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Platforms:

Facebook – Calgary Police Youth Foundation

Instagram – @CPFYYC

The Youth at Risk Development (YARD) program is a community-based, early intervention program that supports youth ages 10-17 that are currently at risk, affiliated with a gang, or involved in gang activity. Delivered in partnership by the Calgary Police Service (CPS), the City of Calgary – Calgary Neighbourhoods (CN), and Alberta Health Services (AHS), YARD assists these youth in avoiding or leaving the gang lifestyle.

Teams consisting of a police officer and a registered social worker work closely with the youth client, their families, schools, and community agencies to develop individual case plans that work on achieving goals in the following key areas: improving interpersonal relationships, improving mental health and wellness, increased life skills and increased prosocial activities.

Below we have chosen to highlight just one example of how the YARD program was able to help an at risk youth in our community by building positive relationships and providing him with on-going support.

This is Jacob’s Story.

Jacob was referred to the YARD program by his Youth Probation Officer in March 2019. He was referred because he had at least 1 incident resulting in a conviction charge, no positive adult role model/confidant/mentor, serious family dysfunction, lax parental supervision, aggression and behaviour problems (including bullying), lack of emotional regulation and self control, poor school performance, and alcohol or drug misuse.

Jacob lived with his biological mother and younger brother, and had a long history of Children Services involvement in addition to many apprehension orders and time in foster care. Jacob was extremely honest with YARD, admitting to selling and using drugs, not attending school, and he did not like his mother or her boyfriend. Jacob shared strong resentment toward his mother who had a history of drug addiction that impacted the lives of him and his younger brother. Jacob shared that his mother had done well after her last stay in residential treatment.  His mother had gone back to school, started a job in her field, and owned her own car. However, his mother found a boyfriend who was a drug user and several years younger than her. She started to use drugs again and lost her job. This angered Jacob and he reported that he robbed and stole items from other youth to sell so he could buy food for him and his brother. YARD gave Jacob grocery gift cards, drove him to school, and continuously coached him to do the right things, working hard to gain his trust. YARD was able to support Jacob to recognize his own need for addictions treatment and got him connected to voluntary programming through Youth Addictions, AHS.

 After his release from treatment, Jacob threatened to use a machete against his mother’s boyfriend. YARD advocated for Children’s Services involvement and as a result, Children Services arranged for Jacob’s maternal grandmother to move in with the young boys to raise them. Because Jacob was upset that YARD got Children’s Services involved, he “fired” his YARD team at that time, saying he “could not trust cops and social workers”.

A couple months later, Jacob’s probation officer re-referred Jacob to YARD at Jacob’s request as after some reflection, he acknowledged that the team was good for him and were people he could trust. Since his Grandmother moved in to care for him and his brother, the youth has greater stability in his life. With ongoing support from YARD, he has not incurred criminal charges, is no longer dealing drugs and was attending school on a more regular basis, although Jacob continued to struggle with impulse control and he would lash out at professionals at times.

YARD supported Jacob with job hunting as he shared frustration with applying for hundreds of jobs online, with no results. YARD arranged to take him to the Youth Employment Center and get him registered and assigned to an employment counsellor who would review his resume and provide him with additional job searching skill building opportunities. YARD coached him on how to professionally present when engaging with staff at the Youth Employment Center and Jacob did amazing. He presented as very prepared, had his resume with him, and was respectful in his communication with the staff. He had a great afternoon at the Youth Employment Center.

Jacob was excited about a student training program that he found out about while at the Youth Employment Centre. He applied and was hired to in March 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID 19 the student training opportunity was cancelled and Jacob was understandably very upset. Jacob was also upset that he was not able to go to school, as this was a very important part of his daily routine. At the time, Jacob did not have a home computer, so he was not able to continue working on his school modules. However, because of a kind donation of a Chromebook from the Calgary Police Youth Foundation, Jacob is now able do continue his schoolwork, and is still actively searching for new job opportunities.

Join Our Newest Promising Futures Supporters!

In the past few months, we have had 11 individuals say YES to becoming Promising Futures monthly donors! These new supporters have committed to making a difference for vulnerable and at-risk youth in our community and are helping to fund six critical Programs that keep our city’s children safe from victimisation and crime.

By becoming a Promising Futures monthly donor, you too can join these thoughtful Calgarians to help build a city where families can thrive, and all children can reach their full potential. See what one of our newest monthly donors had to say about why they chose to donate through Promising Futures below:

“Laurie and I chatted for a while about how we might support CPYF, and are in full agreement with donating to the ‘PromisingFutures’ approach.  We are inspired to do this for so many reasons; it also makes sense and is straightforward,” – Guy and Laurie.

Learn more and sign up today at: https://cpf.cpsevents.ca/promising-futures/

Thank you to Shaw and Birdies for Kids!

Thank you to Shaw, the Shaw Charity Classic, and the Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by Altalink program for including the Calgary Police Youth Foundation as a charity of choice this year. Through your amazing matching programs, we have been able to make an even greater impact for the vulnerable children and youth we serve during a time when they need our help the most.

We are so grateful for your organization’s generosity and can’t wait to be a part of the Shaw Charity Classic in 2021!

Due to COVID-19, we have had to embrace new ways of supporting vulnerable children and youth in Calgary. Thankfully, we have been able to continue our valuable work by participating in community and grassroots initiatives. Below are just a few examples of new ways we are supporting at-risk children and youth in Calgary!

YYC Kids Ride

The Calgary Police Youth Foundation was thrilled to be a part of YYC Kids Ride on August 8th. At this event, over 280 bikes were given away to children and youth in Calgary and CPYF was pleased to provide gift cards for helmets to each of the kids to help them ride safely.

Power Play Pass it On

Unfortunately, this year due to COVID-19, our summer Power Play program had to be adjusted to not include weekly soccer practice drills, but we still wanted to find a way to keep program participants active and engaged throughout the summer.

That is why we decided to host our Power Play Pass It On Event on August 5th, where participants were each given a jersey, soccer ball, snacks, and soccer drill tips to help develop their skills!

Support for Lebanon Emergency Relief

Our great reputation for friends helping friends has allowed us to reach out to the kind Calgarians at the Alberta Muslim Social Association to offer support for those affected by the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon by donating items such as blankets, tarps, and essential supplies.  Our friends at Canadian Tire – Shawnessy have already stepped up and by donating 10 tarps to this initiative! Great work!

Blankets are one of the most in demand items needed at this time – and you can help! If you have a new or ‘in good condition’ blanket to donate let us know before September 8th by emailing us at CPYF@CalgaryPolice.ca to help support those affected by this tragedy with some warmth from Canada.

Thank you for Your Naming Suggestions!

At the beginning of the year, we introduced a contest to help us discover our new name. We received so many amazing suggestions and you definitely gave us a lot to consider. We will be keeping the suggestions in our archives as some are perfect campaign names! We sincerely appreciate all of the thought and consideration that went into your ideas.

Now, as the Calgary Police Youth Foundation, a name that evolved from many suggestions, we hope that we can raise even more awareness about who we are, what we do, and who we support.

Run with Us to Support Vulnerable Youth in Calgary!

The Calgary Police Virtual Half Marathon is almost here, and there is still time to get your pledges in! We have some amazing prizes for our top three individual and team pledge earners including Cibo Gift Cards, iFly experiences, a Mountain View Bowling prize pack, and gift certificates to the Canadian Brewhouse!

All Calgary Police Half Marathon pledges are designated to the Calgary Police Youth Foundation and in turn the youth we serve. To learn more about the pledge program, or to donate today, visit: https://halfmarathon.cpsevents.ca/

And if one marathon is not enough, we are still looking for members to join our team for the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon! Visit the registration link and join our team – KMs for Kids, to help make a difference for vulnerable children and youth in Calgary! Register: https://calgarymarathon.com/.

Thank You Corus Entertainment

We are so proud to work with our friends and official media sponsors, Corus Entertainment, who have been standing by our side as we navigate this challenging year with changing plans, and are always ready to help when they can. Thank you so much for your ongoing support and for using your platforms to help vulnerable children and youth in Calgary!