In 2018, Gregg and I participated in the Sanctum Challenge with my son Theo, who was eight. It rained for the entire time, and as we stood outside in the wet and cold, we learned firsthand, although briefly, the incredible work of the many charities in our city. Saskatoon Foodbank gave us food. White Buffalo Youth Lodge gave my son a burger and a place to play. The Friendship Inn warmed and fed us. Prairie Harm gave us somewhere out of the rain. YWCA gave me and Theo somewhere to sleep.
We knew how important it was for Saskatoon to easily be able to find out about the work and real time needs of local charities.
Now, four years later, One Small Step is a website that showcases the work and needs of local charities so you can find them quickly and easily. Over 3000 people visited the site in August. Each of those visitors is seeking a place to be generous.
I’m so proud to announce that we now have 50 charities on the site, their needs and programming listed for free. The fiftieth one we onboarded today, and it was the first charity that Gregg ever volunteered at: The Bridge on 20th. That feels important, somehow. A connection made, which is exactly what we want to do.
We have a lot of people to thank, many of whom came to our event on November 8th as a cohosted event with Sanctum to wrap up their 36 hour challenge . I can’t list everyone, but it’s important you know that at One Small Step we appreciate your generosity and support. One Small Step is a true community initiative, made by our community for our community. Thank you each of you who’ve taken time with us to guide us and make sure that One Small Step is useful, beautiful, and here for everyone in Saskatoon who wants to get involved.
Our founding sponsors, Nutrien and the University of Saskatchewan helped us see the vision for this. Thank you. Thank you to Affinity Credit Union, DCG Philanthropic Services, Saskatchewan Blue Cross and Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon for supporting our site and making it happen.
Thank you Kinsmen for your sponsorship of our wrap up event on November 8th. Thank you too to Thompson Jaspar and to Cuelenaere for sponsoring this event. And thank you to Remai Modern for the beautiful space and for giving us the opportunity to gather and connect.
Sometimes the problems in our city feel insurmountable. But each of us, and there are a lot of us, have a part in making our city the best it can be for every single person who lives within it.
Mostly, we want to thank all the Eds and staff at the organizations who are doing the frontline work. Thank you for trusting us at One Small Step to share your needs and programs, thank you for the work you do every day, thank you for being a part of the change. Before One Small Step, if you searched online ‘how can I help’ you got an answer that wasn’t local, and that didn’t make a local impact. Now, here in this room, there are a lot of people who have thought a lot about the problems in our city and who have big ideas.
By bringing everyone together, we’re hopeful that conversations happen, connections are made, and together we find solutions.
The passion and the dedication of people who work in this sector is inspirational and extraordinary. This work is done because of love, love for our community, love for people and belief that each of us working together can make a difference. Please take time on One Small Step to find out where you can make a difference and be part of the change.
And take a moment today to connect with someone new.
