Northern and Eastern Manitoba has been hit hard with the spread of wildfires this spring. Recently the northern town of Flin Flon Manitoba, along with many First Nation Reserves in the vicinity, have been evacuated due to the dangerous fires getting closer to the communities. Numbers of people evacuated has grown to 21,000+ with a total of 27 fires burning in the province. Most of the people have had to leave in a short amount of time, unable to take with them essential items, and are being housed across the province.
After the initial evacuations began, James Bleach (our newest foreman, formerly from the UK) reached out wanting to race up and help-out. This was tough as they wanted people getting out and only emergency personnel going into the area.
Shortly thereafter, Kyle Hingey and James came together with an idea to do a fund/food/donation drive and reached out for support. We tasked these two young leaders to organize this on their own, with us supporting where we could (communication assistance, use of equipment to transport good, etc.) but that we wanted them to take on the lead roles. Without hesitation, they agreed to get started with the ask that we match what they could bring in!
With the help of the rest of the Brandon Service Field team – and partnerships with the Red Cross, the Brandon Shoppers Mall and Brandon Sobeys – the donation drive was put together in a very short time, and collected $4,500.00 worth of food, clothes, toys. The outpouring of support from Brandon and the surrounding area was terrific, even on a wet and rainy day. And to top it off, we provided an in-kind donation amount to the Red Cross, which the Provincial and Federal Governments matched turning every dollar into three!
In the in end, the service field staff in Brandon did a stellar job coming together to help people very much in need. We have heard from many in the community how appreciative they are for all the help these young people provided. Very proud of all the staff and their families and friends who worked on this initiative. This is an impactful and inspiring example of Flynn Family and culture within Flynn!
Photo of the field team members in the local newspaper (Brandon Sun):
From Left to Right: Nick Powell, Kyle Hingey, Jordan Hyshka (bottom), Leevye Powell, Lily Powell, James Bleach, Jesus Flores, Logan Church.