Families who evacuated from Jasper, Alberta, during the wildfire received support from HDR employees and a matching HDR Canada Fund grant to the Canadian Red Cross. Photo source: Canadian Red Cross

Nine HDR Canada Fund grants totaling over CA$50,000 will impact the communities where HDR's Canadian employees live and work - including a special grant to support the Canadian Red Cross Alberta wildfire relief efforts.

"After hearing about the devastating wildfires that ripped through the beautiful mountain town of Jasper, my heart was torn," said Brandon Thurber, civil designer at HDR.

Thurber spearheaded a separate employee fundraiser that raised CA$6,869, which was matched by a CA$7,000 HDR Canada Fund grant, then tripled by a matching donation from the Government of Canada and Government of Alberta. In total, Thurber's efforts raised $41,215 for the Canadian Red Cross.

"I'll be honest, I'm tearing up a little bit thinking about how thankful I am for everyone's generosity and support towards this cause," he said.

Grants from the HDR Foundation and HDR Canada Fund focus on causes related to education, healthy communities and the environment, with each grant sponsored by an employee engaged with the charity receiving the funds.

Sheila De Torres, HDR CAD technician, sponsored a grant to Made by Momma, an organization supporting young mothers and families in need. The grant will fund two HDR group cooking events to provide meals to mothers and young children, as well as baby supplies and birthday gifts for children and teenagers in the program.

"Made by Momma made an impact on my life by helping my immediate family members a few years ago when they were facing adversity and crisis," De Torres said.

Andrea Middleton, commercial manager at HDR, sponsored a grant to Victoria Community Food Hub Society.

"With this HDR Canada Fund grant funding, the Victoria Community Food Hub Society will be able to purchase specialized high-pressure canning equipment that is specific to local Indigenous fishing and canning practices," she said. "We hope this will create a cascading effect of Indigenous food literacy in the community and exposure for Indigenous youth who may not have previously considered a career in the food industry."

Read more about the latest grants.

About the HDR Canada Fund

Funded and driven by HDR employees, the HDR Canada Fund is a charitable fund held with the Vancouver Foundation, dedicated to serving communities across Canada in which our employees live and work. Modeled after the U.S.-based HDR Foundation, the HDR Canada Fund gives preference to organizations with strong employee involvement that align with HDR's areas of expertise: education, healthy communities and environmental stewardship. Since its inception in 2021, the HDR Canada Fund has funded over CA$200,000 in grants.

About HDR

HDRis a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Our successin built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients' and communities' most complex challenges.

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