Field Law, a regional law firm with offices in Calgary, Edmonton and Yellowknife, is proud to be celebrating its 100 year anniversary by donating $100,000 to initiatives throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories via the annual Field Law Community Fund Program. Now in its third year, the Program, which supports local community projects and initiatives, received a record number of 105 applications, 41 of which came from the Northern Alberta market. Field Law granted two grand prize awards and four additional awards in the Northern Alberta area, providing a total of $40,000 to help launch or grow each local project. 

The selection process for this year’s winners included a combination of online public voting and deliberation by a local judging panel composed of Field Law representatives, as well as invested clients and community members. The online voting portion of the selection allowed the public to share their thoughts on which projects they felt most deserved funding in their community, which in turn gave the panelists a clear idea of which projects resonated the most with members of the community so that they could factor those opinions into the final decision-making along with additional criteria. Field Law’s preferred causes include (but are not exclusive to) those that support education, healthcare, at-risk youth, homelessness, women’s organizations, community and sports or arts and culture.

“Having a meaningful presence in the community has been a priority for Field Law for the last 100 years and that remains a significant part of our corporate culture to this day,” said James Casey, Firm Managing Partner, Field Law. “The Community Fund Program is just one of the ways we are able to celebrate the bond we have with the communities in which we operate and we are pleased to be supporting a number of deserving causes in the Edmonton area this year. We saw an overwhelming amount of public participation through the application and voting processes and are very pleased with the results the Program saw in 2015.”

Field Law congratulates the following prize winners of the 2015 Community Fund Program:

You Can Ride 2 ($15,000 recipient) – Grand Prize Winner

You Can Ride 2 (YCR2): Borrow-a-bike is an adapted bicycle loan pool which provides bikes on loan to children whose special needs make it challenging for them to ride a two-wheel bicycle. YCR2’s goal is to help communities across the province offer similar services that will provide children with the freedom to ride with their families. Funds will go towards automating their program.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul for the Alleviation of Poverty ($10,000 recipient) – Grand Prize Winner

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul for the Alleviation of Poverty (Edmonton Particular Council) is a social justice organization that serves the disadvantaged in the Capital Region of Alberta by offering short term relief and a ‘hand up’ towards a better life. The Society also distributes furniture, household goods, clothing, food hampers and other donated goods to the underprivileged in Edmonton. Funds will go towards repairs for their three delivery trucks.

ED-ucate ($5,000 recipient)

ED-ucate is a one-day symposium held in Edmonton as part of Eating Disorder Awareness Week to educate professionals, families, community members and others about eating disorders (ED). Professionals with extensive backgrounds in eating disorders hold a series of sessions aimed at improving understanding of these complex illnesses and reshaping the misconceptions, misinformation, shame and stigmas surrounding them.

Inclusive Play ($4,000 recipient)

Parkland County is spearheading a campaign to install inclusive playground equipment to allow children in this rural county to better access community play areas. Safe and appropriate equipment, including accessible swings and wheelchair friendly access mats, will be added to four Parkland County community parks in an effort to create empathy and understanding towards disabilities among children and parents alike.

Linking Generations ($3,000 recipient)

Linking Generations is an intergenerational program that encourages “bridging the gap” between seniors and youth, bringing generations together so they can learn from each other and share life experiences. The program encourages volunteering and social responsibility in youth by matching students and seniors for weekly visits that foster community connectedness and social responsibility.

Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace ($3,000 recipient)

The Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace youth conferences are annual gatherings organized for high school students to introduce and make relevant Gandhi’s vision of non-violence (ahimsa), personal responsibility, dedication to community, and stewardship of the environment. The Foundation has recently begun to expand the program to include conferences for junior high and elementary aged school children as well.

In addition to the $40,000 distributed in 2015 in the Northern Alberta market, Field Law distributed an additional $40,000 and $20,000 in the Southern Alberta and Northwest Territories markets, respectively. The Program launched through all three of Field’s offices in Alberta and the Northwest Territories in 2013 and is now an annual initiative. In the Program’s three years, $250,000 has been awarded to 42 community ideas and organizations engaging about 70,000 online voters. To learn more, visit www.fieldlawcommunityfund.com.