Left to right: Corey Smith, Board member for Covenant Foundation, Dr. Tami Masterson, Foster Care Clinic physician lead; Tracy Sopkow, CEO,
Covenant Foundation; Gail Cameron, Senior Dir. Operations, Grey Nuns Community Hospital; Natalie Minckler, Ex. Dir., EOCF
A financial donation from the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation to Covenant Foundation will help meet the needs of the hundreds of children and families who rely on the Covenant Health Foster Care Clinic.
The $50,000 cheque from Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation to Covenant Foundation will be used to purchase supplies such as food, clothing, toiletries and transportation for the 2,000 children and teens supported by the clinic annually.
“The children served by the compassionate health care team at the Foster Care Clinic are facing incredible challenges. We are very grateful to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation for this generous contribution that will have a lasting impact on at-risk kids and teens from Edmonton and communities across northern Alberta,” says Tracy Sopkow, Chief Executive Officer, Covenant Foundation.
“The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation knows the importance of investing in the community to provide the opportunity for organizations to do meaningful work,” says Natalie Minckler, Executive Director, Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. “Covenant Foundation is one of those organizations, with its unwavering commitment to its patients, residents and families across Alberta, and we are thrilled to be able to support them and their exceptional work.”
“Many of the families seen at our clinic struggle with meeting their basic needs and they are often unable to address the complex health issues associated with trauma. The donation provided by the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation will allow us to demonstrate that we care by providing supplies like food, medications, hygiene products and transportation funds,” says Dr. Tami Masterson, physician lead at the Foster Care Clinic. “Meeting a patient’s basic needs builds therapeutic relationships and allows patients to focus on health promotion rather than basic survival. This donation is also a gift to the staff in our clinic. It can be very emotionally challenging to witness need and not be able to help. The Oilers Community Foundation has allowed our staff to be their vehicle of giving and I am very thankful for this.”
The Covenant Health Foster Care Clinic operates out of the St. Marguerite Health Centre, adjacent to Grey Nuns Community Hospital. It has been serving foster children and their caregivers from across northern Alberta since 2011. The facility provides greater stability within the medical system for foster children, allowing them to stay connected with the same health care providers, even as their caregivers may change. The clinic provides medical care from a holistic perspective allowing for treatment of their physical issues but also addressing the social, emotional and environmental components of their well-being. In addition to medical care, wrap-around services are provided; including social work support, referrals to community agencies and programs, school advocacy services and resources to help families meet their basic needs such as toiletries, diapers and prescription medications.