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Make-A-Wish Saskatchewan makes chicken coop playground wish a reality with Northern Strands Group of Companies

Spring is FINALLY here, and we are excited to take part in community events again. The Northern Strands Group of Companies, consisting of Fortis Mining Engineering and Manufacturing, Certified Mining and Construction and Northern Strands have been sponsoring Wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation for several years. Every year we fundraise with the goal of making one Saskatchewan’s Child’s Wish come true!


We recently had the opportunity to join the Make-A-Wish “Fairies” as they announced a child was going to receive their wish. This year we were matched with a little girl named Lennon. Her wish was to have a chicken coop playground, so she had an amazing place to play with her pet chicken. Her new chicken playground will have a cute new house for her chickens and a teeter totter for them to play on. Lennon is an amazing young girl who is sweet, compassionate, and just a joy to spend time with. We were thrilled to be there when she was told her wish was coming true. The look of joy and excitement on her face warmed our hearts. We are all looking forward to Lennon’s chicken coop wish being granted. No more than Lennon herself!


Make-A-Wish Canada is a fantastic organization dedicated to granting the wishes of critically ill children. Research has shown that children who have had their wishes granted can help build physical and emotional strength needed to fight critical illness. Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Canada has granted over 36,000 wishes across the country!


Make-A-Wish Canada and Fortis Work Together to Grant Wishes Each Year

There are many worthwhile charities for companies to partner with. Yet there are very few that offer a local and personnel connection like Make-A-Wish Canada. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a charity in Canada whose grants wishes to critically ill children each year. The amazing work they do changes the lives of these children and their families for the better! This dedication to children and community aligns directly with the core values the Northern Strands Group of Companies holds. We have committed to grant the wish of one child each year for the past several years and everyone chips in to make this a reality. Our teams take this commitment to heart, and we work throughout the year make this donation possible each year.

With fundraising events not possible this year, our team became creative in their fundraising efforts. Our staff rose to the challenge this year and we collected recycling from all locations to send to SARCAN as well as having a silent auction with donation items from companies we work with.

This last year we sponsored a 7 year old girl named Alexis. She loves swimming, Lego and animals. Her wish was to have a puppy! Through our donations and fundraising this year we have been able to grant this wish for Alexis. She welcomed home a Cocker Spaniel puppy this year.


The creativity of these kids and amazing strength and spirit makes working with Make-A-Wish so much fun! There are quite a few children in Canada waiting for a wish so check out their page at: https://makeawish.ca for ways you can get involved or donate! It’s an amazing organization doing work to make the world a softer and gentler place for critically ill children in Canada. 

Northern Strands Group of Companies Employees Fundraise for Children's Wish Exile Island Event

For the second year in a row, the Northern Strands Group of Companies(Northern Strands, Fortis Mining Engineering & Manufacturing, Certified Mining & Construction Sales & Rentals), was invited to participate in Children's Wish Exile Island.  On March 10, 2017, The Children’s Wish Foundation challenged 15 local business and community groups to gather a Cast of 10 and take part in an action packed day of fun and friendly competition all in a united effort to grant 15 heartfelt wishes. Modeled after the popular television show “Survivor”, all the “Cast”-aways were sent to Legends Centre, Warman, SK to compete in a series of mental, physical, creative and strategic challenges. Each team was paired with a local Wish Child who cheered us on and inspired these brave competitors.

Here is a link to a story the Clarke's Crossing Gazette did on Exile Island this year http://www.ccgazette.ca/wp/?p=9125

The child we are aligned with this year for Exile Island was Aurora.   Her favorite movie is Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.  Luckily, this year's Exile Island theme was movies!  Her favorite movie is about food coming alive...Thus Team Meatballs was born!  Our team theme and costumes were based on the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 movie. We won two team awards at Exile Island. Set Design/team area and the one we are most proud of Top Box Office/most money raised!  See the pictures below of our time at Exile Island...

We are proud to say that for last 4 years in a row we have donated over $10,000 towards granting a Child's Wish!

Throughout the year we raise funds for Children's Wish in a variety of ways; Paper, pop cans, containers and batteries are recycled. Additional funds are raised through yard cleanup with scrap steel and other reusable goods being sent to auction. We have a raffle at our Christmas party and we have a separate intercompany raffle for 5 pairs of Rush tickets. The Group of Companies holds several fund-raising BBQ's throughout the summer. Employees are encouraged to participate and volunteer to help with the activities during the event. We contact neighboring businesses and drop off flyers in the effort to grow each and every BBQ. 

We also have a very unique way of giving back to the community. We use our Safety Training Ambulance to raise money at events like Craven Country Jamboree and other similar events. Our Trainers donate their time as first responders at these types of events. They offer basic medical care out of the ambulance. Any money we are paid is donated back to Children's Wish. Even if the event cannot afford to pay, our Trainers will still volunteer simply to help those in need.

Every year our efforts have helped give hope to a local family that needed it the most. We believe one of the key reasons we are so successful in encouraging our employees to donate their time is the connection we make with the child we are aligned with. By doing events like Exile Island you can see the difference you are making in the child and their family's life.  

We would like to thank Novatex Industrial printers for making our great banner and The Cherry On Top - Sweet Treats by Erin for making our creative cupcakes.  See pictures below.






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  • 802 60th Street East
  • Saskatoon, S7K 8G8
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