INNISFAIL – RCMP Sgt. Ian Ihme has been a Mountie for more than 21 years and has experienced everything as a police officer.
Well, almost everything.
On Dec. 3 the interim commander of the Innisfail detachment attended his first charity check step, an event that was once commonplace in many towns across the province but now down to just a very few.
Innisfail remains special as this year marks the 26th annual Innisfail RCMP Charity Check Stop, a great source of pride for every police officer and civilian employee at the detachment.
“My very first one, and it's been great,” said Ihme, who noted the temperature in the morning was around -30 C. “And even with the cold everyone's spirits are high. We're kind of taking breaks going into legion; warming up in our cars a bit. People have been dropping off coffee and snacks.”
Ihme and several members, along with civilian staff at the detachment, began their benevolent shifts for the community at 10 a.m. on Main Street between 48th and 49th avenues. They were joined by members of the Innisfail Fire Department, Town of Innisfail volunteers, emergency services personnel, local community peace officers, and civilian volunteers.
“There is an amazing community spirit out here,” said Kane Williams, the town’s recreation program coordinator who was volunteering at the event. “It's incredible to see all the smiles and people just stopping by and being so generous.”
The job for everyone was to collect as many cash donations as possible, along with toys and food, to support the community’s less fortunate during this holiday season.
The 2022 Innisfail RCMP Charity Check Stop raised a total of $15,735 in cash and cheques, which was slightly down from last year's record-setting $17,181.05.
As well, the RCMP and volunteers collected three truck loads of high quality toys and new clothing items for the Innisfail Christmas Bureau, along with 542.2 pounds of food for the Innisfail and District Food Bank.
This year’s beneficiaries from the Innisfail RCMP Charity Check Stop are the food bank, Christmas Bureau, Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (CACAC) and the Innisfail Youth Positive Assets Coalition.
“This is my first (charity check stop) time too,” said Jodie Jamieson, fund development coordinator for the CACAC, a non-profit organization headquartered in Red Deer and serving 87 communities – including Innisfail – across Central Alberta to support victims of child abuse. “Anytime we have a fundraiser where we can actually get engaged with the community, it means everything because it gives us the awareness and the ability to reach people to let them know more about who we are as a group, and what we can provide for services for the children and youth of our community.”
Ihme said a local RCMP member has been seconded to the child advocacy centre to provide support.
Innisfail RCMP Const. Craig Nelson, who spearheaded the organizing for this year’s event, was hopeful the totals would rival those from 2021.
In the meantime, Nelson was overwhelmed by how the business community chipped in to support the 26th annual event, notably the pet treats donated by Nestle Purina, and the coffee and snacks supplied by Central Alberta Co-Op, Canadian Pizza Unlimited, Subway, NAPA Auto Parts, Field and Forge, D & R Drive–In, Innisfail Dairy Queen, Complete Catering, Sandstone IDA, Tim Hortons and Dark Woods Brewing.
“Jolene (Bjarnason) and the Legion are big donors for us as well,” said Nelson. “Because it's our 26th annual it's just become a staple in the community. We're just really grateful that our community is so supportive of this initiative; to promote generosity and the community coming together and partnering to support each other. It's amazing.”
