Brian Burke Inspires Generous Donations at Kettle Kick-off in Calgary

The Salvation Army hosted its annual Hope in the City luncheon on Wednesday, November 12 at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary. The event had 700 guests in attendance from corporate Calgary and featured guest speaker Brian Burke, President of Hockey Operations with the Calgary Flames. Guests were welcomed into the event by the Salvation Army Glenmore Temple band playing a selection of classic Christmas pieces. Mr. Burke gave an effective speech, challenging the crowd to give generously this year and help in the fight against poverty:

“Christmas Day, for someone trapped in poverty, is just another day on the calendar, another day of extreme cold, another day of hunger, another day of despair,” Burke says. “And in a country and city that’s so affluent, where we have so much, there’s really no excuse for not taking advantage of this season of giving and breaking the cycle of poverty.”

Within two hours, nearly $12,000 was donated by individuals and companies attending the luncheon. In addition, 80 table-top Kettles, part of the Kettles at Work program, were “adopted” by offices to fill with donations over the holiday season.

Significant contributions were also made by this year’s event sponsors: Remington Development Corporation, EllisDon, Avison Young, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Blakes Lawyers, CBRE Limited, Dialog, Stantec, Servpro Cleaning, The Great-West Life Assurance Company, and Osler, Hoskin & Harcout LLP.

“Because of you, we are starting our campaign with $65,000 towards our goal of $1 million,” states Capt. Pam Goodyear, Divisional Secretary for Public Relations & Development.

The Salvation Army is still looking for volunteers for this year’s Kettle campaign.  If you would like more information on volunteering or are interested in booking a shift, please call 403-410-1113.