Project Porchlight’s Alberta campaign officially wrapped up in March of this year, but we still had one Calgary community left to target this spring. Thanks to keen Scenic Acres resident Janice Park Wong, all of Calgary is now a little bit brighter and a whole lot greener!
When Janice learned there were a few thousand compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to be distributed in her community, she was eager to get involved. She rounded up an impressive 53 volunteers (many of whom are photographed here) to commit the May long weekend to delivering CFL bulbs.
The blitz couldn’t have gone more smoothly, and Janice can’t help but wonder if their success had something to do with a good omen that came her way the night before the big event. On May 15, Janice and her husband ordered Chinese food for dinner. “When he opened his fortune cookie, it read, ‘You are bright, so give out that light,’” says Janice. “No word of a lie!”
From there on in, everything went like clockwork. “We had perfect weather on Saturday,” says Janice, who was up bright and early on May 16 to make sure everything was ready for the blitz. “So many volunteers came out that we were able to deliver all the CFL bulbs in just one morning!”
Starting at 9:00am, the volunteers pulled out the maps Janice had prepared and began blitzing the Scenic Acres neighbourhood, handing out CFL bulbs, and answering questions. By noon, nearly 3,000 energy-efficient light bulbs had been distributed to Scenic Acres residents.
After completing their task, the volunteers made their way back to home base to enjoy fresh fruit, cookies, and chips donated by Safeway [1]. But refreshments weren’t the only thing the volunteers got out of their day. “I was happy to hear that people had fun during the blitz,” says Janice. “They connected with others, spent time with family and raised environmental awareness.” Not only that, but the volunteers proved to themselves that they had the power to make a difference, and that their choices and actions could have a real impact on protecting the environment.
As a tribute to her amazing volunteers, Janice wrote a special poem:
If I could give you a grade
I’d give you an “A.”
I’d give you money
If I could pay.
But it seems I am left with
Words numbering two;
I hope that a heartfelt
“THANK YOU” will do.
We feel the same way about you, Janice. The fortune cookie may have helped a little. But we think you were the good omen that made the Scenic Acres blitz such a hit. Thank you!!!
And thank you to our generous sponsors for helping make Project Porchlight Alberta possible—EnCana Corporation [2], The Government of Alberta [3], The City of Calgary [4], and The City of Edmonton [5].