Bright Things on the Horizon for ARTCF
The past two years have been a difficult time for everyone, including charities like the Alberta Retired Teachers Charitable Foundation (ARTCF) and its many partners. Hosting events has been all but impossible, donations suffered as uncertainty became the norm, and the resulting downsizing at charitable organizations meant that many staff moved on, removing those critical points of contact. In short, the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to make connections, which is a critical component of any successful charitable organization.
While the pandemic in Alberta hasn’t completely faded from our lives, increased vaccination rates and widespread safety protocols mean that Albertans have begun to connect safely again. It’s hard to say when we’ll be out of the woods completely, but this increased ability to connect has been great news for charities, including ARTCF and its partners.
Events aren’t a guarantee yet — anything can happen, as we all know by now — but ARTCF has a few exciting opportunities on the horizon. First, the foundation has been approved for a casino licence from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, which will create a new stream of funding to go toward ARTCF’s charitable efforts. The casino will be hosted in Edmonton in the upcoming year.
On June 16, 2022, ARTCF will finally, after two years of postponements, host its annual golf tournament at the Ponoka Golf Course. This long-awaited event will raise money for the foundation and is always an incredible amount of fun for all involved. A special “thank you” goes to the sponsors who have continued to support the event throughout all the uncertainty of the last two years.
Donations to ARTCF are essential to the work the foundation does in bringing proper health‑care, housing, and ESL education opportunities to Alberta’s seniors. If you’ve been wanting to support that goal but don’t have the funds to give, consider donating your time to one of these events instead. Look for calls for volunteers in the months to come in ARTAfacts and future issues of news&views.