The St. Albert Chapter of the Canadian Progress Club endeavors to enhance the lives of underprivileged and ailing individuals in our community with financial aid, event support and/or our time and resources. We pay special attention to those young people who for one reason or another do not have the same opportunities as others; simply stated we want to present those same opportunities to as many of them as possible.
The Canadian Progress Club consists of individuals whom dedicate their time and energy for the benefit of our society, an ideal that originated with a group of businessmen in Toronto whom chartered the first club in 1922.
While fluid by nature, the aim of helping local charities remains the same, and in 1973, the St. Albert Chapter was chartered by the Downtown Chapter, and thus began our story of helping within our community, here in St. Albert.
There are three primary not-for-profit groups that the St. Albert Chapter of the Canadian Progress Club supports: Uncles and Aunts at Large, Camp Warwa, and the Children’s Charitable Society. There are many other beneficiaries though, including the Children’s Festival, Transitions, and the Food Bank. Nationally, the Canadian Progress Club is one of the largest non-corporate donors to Special Olympics. These have remained consistent throughout the St. Albert Chapter’s history.
Both Uncles and Aunts at Large and Camp Warwa are Canadian Progress Club initiatives. Uncles and Aunts at Large was started in 1967 by local CPC clubs to provide support to children from single-parent families, and, in 1980, the Warwa brothers donated 23 acres of land on Lac St. Anne to start Camp Warwa and provide children with experiential outdoor experiences. The intrinsic values of these organizations help our local children build self-esteem and become better citizens. This is why the Canadian Progress Club continues to support such groups.
Special Olympics is the beneficiary of our national Charitable Foundation, which receives contributions from every Canadian Progress Club. This enables children with disabilities to compete in various sports both nationally and internationally. St. Albert has proudly supported this cause year after year.