Borouge International Brightens Our Ogden Office

How Borouge International Helped Refresh Our Ogden Office

When a Calgarian runs out of food or falls behind on bills, the search for help can be exhausting. They call one line, then another. They might book a food hamper, only to learn it won't arrive for days. By the time they find Rise Calgary, many are walking in during one of the hardest moments of their lives.

That's why our offices matter so much. For a lot of people, we're the first place they actually get to sit down with someone.

Why Ogden matters

Our Ogden office is one of the few places in Calgary where someone can walk in and get immediate help with food and clothing, then talk with a staff member about what else they need. That might be help applying for benefits, emergency financial support, or free tax filing, which we offer year-round.

People come to us tired, stressed and often a little embarrassed to ask. We want every person who walks through our door to feel welcomed, respected and safe. Our space should feel like a place to land, not a busy depot.

Last year, Rise Calgary had nearly 20,000 interactions with community members, including more than 1,800 food-related and nearly 500 clothing-related visits.

After years of steady traffic and limited resources, our Ogden walls were showing their age. They needed some love.

A morning that made a difference

This fall, thanks to United Way Calgary and Area, a team of volunteers from Borouge International spent a morning with us repainting our Ogden office.

In just a few hours, they gave the space a bright, fresh look. Now the people who visit us each week walk into a space that feels cared for, because they are.

“It was a joy to team up with Rise Calgary to help bring fresh energy to their space! With all that Rise Calgary does for our community, our team at Borouge International was delighted to roll up our sleeves and give our time to support their work.“

Ericka Belleth-Hull from Borouge International

Small team, big difference

Rise Calgary has a small team doing a lot of work. Our staff spend their days helping Calgarians through some of their hardest moments, which leaves little time for projects like painting walls or refreshing our spaces.

That's where corporate volunteers make the biggest difference. A single morning of your team's time can improve the experience of every person who walks through our doors for months to come.

As Rise grows and more Calgarians learn about our work, we're building new ways for businesses to get involved. We're grateful to Borouge International and United Way Calgary for helping us take the first step.

Bring your team to Rise

Looking for a meaningful way for your team to give back? A paint roller is a great start, but your team's everyday skills can go even further. We'd love help from people who work in:

• Accounting and finance: volunteering at our free tax clinic or helping shape our financial coaching
• Marketing, design and communications: helping more Calgarians find out about Rise
• IT and data: strengthening the systems our staff rely on every day
• Legal, HR and training: sharing expertise our small team can't always access
• Trades and facilities: small repairs and improvements that keep our spaces welcoming

A few hours of your team's expertise can save our staff weeks, and that time goes straight back to the people we serve.

To learn about volunteer days, sponsorships or workplace giving, contact Mirza Ali Wasiq at mirzaali.wasiq@risecalgary.ca.

Want to help Rise build a permanent home? Learn about our HELP US RISE campaign here.