Co-op has partnered with Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre to help bring their new facility to fruition, donating $125,000 towards their $2.5 million combined animal hospital and education centre, which has been a few years in the making. The centre will teach visitors about the importance of wildlife preservation, conservation, and nature in general. In addition to onsite education tools, the site will broadcast its programs to remote schools and communities.
The large donation was presented at a barbecue lunch on Tuesday, June 27, followed by guided tours through the construction site. Local politicians and dignitaries were on hand for the presentation.
“This generous gift from Co-op puts us a step closer to realizing our dream of a permanent facility to help rescue, rehabilitate, and release more injured and orphaned wildlife,” says Judy Robertson, President of Wildlife Haven. “It will also help us educate more people about safe and healthy wildlife interaction through a classroom or distance learning setting.”
The donation is part of the Co-op Community Spaces program, which first launched in 2015. This year, the company has supported 27 community organizations in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta with a total of $2 million.
“Co-op Community Spaces is an exciting program that is making a difference across Western Canada and we’re delighted to see it come to Ile-des-Chênes,” said Henry Nickel, General Manager of Ste. Anne Co-op, in a statement. “Ste. Anne Co-op is supported and owned by members and customers throughout southeast Manitoba, so it’s important that we give back and make investments in our community and people, which is what Co-op Community Spaces is all about.”
Wildlife Haven is a registered non-profit and run by volunteers. Its mandate is to receive and care for injured and orphaned wildlife for release back into the wild. The organization operates strictly on donations and receives no government funding.
