The Energy of Success

With more than half of our citizens involved in volunteer initiatives, Saskatchewan has the highest provincial volunteer rate in Canada.

In keeping with this trend, SaskEnergy is highly committed to volunteering and we understand the necessity of cultivating in younger generations a dedication to community support. As such, we have become one of the most active champions of youth volunteerism in the province.

Through the Team Energy program, which provides youth with grants for volunteer initiatives, we invite young people to submit a description and budget for a volunteer project that they wish to organize. Applicants are eligible for up to $1,000 to help fund their projects.

Such grants are tremendously valuable because they enable young people to organize volunteer programs that might otherwise be unachievable; they instill a sense of pride and accomplishment in the participants and they benefit local communities.

Since the program's inception in 2004, we have had many success stories, and this past year was no exception. In 2009-2010, SaskEnergy awarded 13 Team Energy grants - 5 Community Spirit grants and 8 Enviro-Action grants - to youth volunteer groups across the province.

One of the Community Spirit Grants that SaskEnergy awarded this year went to Grenfell Elementary School for its "Prairie English Connections" program. Despite being a small town in rural Saskatchewan, there are a number of non-English speakers who have moved to the Grenfell area. Recently, the community welcomed two men from Ukraine who came to work on area farms, four care-givers from the Philippines, four families from Korea who came to learn English and six other individuals from Korea who are interning at the Grenfell Presbyterian Church.

In an effort to welcome the new community members and help them adjust to life in Canada, staff and students at Grenfell Elementary School decided to come up with a plan. They developed a program through which local volunteers provide English-language training and practice opportunities, as well as general mentorship.

Participants meet with volunteer tutors at the library
each week to practice their English-language skills

SaskEnergy was inspired by the thoughtfulness of the "Prairie English Connections" program and the way in which it provides a valuable service to people who might otherwise feel intimidated or overwhelmed. As such, we gladly offered to provide them with enough money to purchase the learning resources they needed.

With its first semester nearly complete, the "Prairie English Connections" program has been a huge success, receiving appreciative feedback from participants and recognition in the local paper.

Additional recipients of Team Energy Community Spirit Grants were:

One of the Team Energy Enviro-Action Grants that SaskEnergy awarded this year went to Carlyle Elementary School for its "One Small Lot of HOPE" project. SaskEnergy and TransGas were so excited about this project they even sent volunteers to help students create the outdoor learning and recreation area.

It didn't take long for the enthusiastic volunteers to accomplish some of the tasks that the students and staff would have struggled to do on their own. In short order, they constructed a large sand box and quickly got to work on building three flower beds. Then they laid edging for a walkway, placed the stepping stones along the path and began filling it with soil and rocks.

Meanwhile, students planted and watered trees, dumped and leveled sand in the sandbox and helped fill the walkway.

Steve Peddle, a service technician from Carlyle, was also on hand with a SaskEnergy/TransGas BBQ to grill up some hot dogs for the kids, many of whom thanked the volunteers for their help and the yummy treats.

Steve Peddle (centre) cooking hotdogs with help from Konlin Stolz of
TransGas Engineering and Leslie Gosselin of SaskEnergy Corporate Affairs.

The school has more plans for the space, such as installing compost bins and a picnic table, as well as painting a hopscotch grid and math game on the asphalt. The remainder of their Team Energy grant will help complete those projects.

Additional recipients of Team Energy Enviro-Action Grants were: