Fundraiser honours passion for community literacy

By Steffanie Costigan - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on June 3, 2023.

Herald photo by Steffanie Costigan Pauline McCran hands off a box full of lunches to Doug Wiebe on Friday morning at Pemmican Lodge as part of the Green Acres Foundation annual fundraiser for Sue Labuhn Memorial Library at Westminster Elementary School.

A local organization held its annual fundraising lunch Friday to raise money for a library at Westminster Elementary School on the northside.

Donations from the beef-on-a-bun lunch hosted by Green Acres Foundation will go to the Sue Labuhn Memorial Library at Westminster Elementary School. Chief executive office of Green Acres Foundation, Dawna Coslovi, said she takes a lot of joy from raising money for the school library and seeing what it means to the children.

“We’re just really proud, Coslovi said. “We just love to do it. They get so excited to have this money because they get to buy new books and other things to make their school day a little bit more special, and their library a little bit more special.”

Last year Green Acres Foundation raised $5,182.91 for the library. Brent Mead, facilities manager at Green Acres Foundation, shared more about Sue Labuhn’s connection to the foundation and school.

“Sue was actually an employee of Green Acres, was an avid reader, and read to the kids at that school,” Mead said. “Hence, the library being named after her. So, in memory of her and for community support, we do this every year,” Mead shared.

It was about eight years ago when the foundation began holding the fundraiser honoring Labuhn’s memory. Coslovi expressed the passion Labuhn had, and the desire to create a passion within the youth for reading.

“Now we just do this in her memory. But we also believe we are furthering her cause or her passion. Because we also believe that if we can help youth at that age to become lovers of books, it takes them to places, it takes them around the world, because whatever the story is, whatever the topic is, it’s something you will never lose. And it just it gives them something to look forward to.”

Green Acres Foundation works diligently each year to cook, prepare, pack the lunches in order to fill the pre-ordered bagged lunches, which are picked up at the parking lot of the Pemmican Lodge by community members and local businesses.

Mead said he has had the opportunity to see first-hand how the money raised impacts the children and the school library.

“I’ve been lucky enough to go over to the school and see what they’ve done to the library. They’ve enhanced it. They’ve purchased books, they’ve actually done labels on the books representing Green Acres supporting the purchase of those books. So, we’ve had the privilege of seeing hands-on what they’ve been able to do with these funds.”

Green Acres Foundation invites and welcomes any interested community members to volunteer in the cause by calling 403-328-1155.