Advertisement 1

FORBES: Jerry Forbes Centre to open July 1, 2018

Article content

The bitter reality of running a public service agency is that it is expensive, very expensive, to operate.

And just because you are helping others doesn’t mean you get a break on costs.

Rent, power, phones, parking all cost the same as for profit businesses and those costs eat up a great deal of money that could flow to groups that offer much needed assistance to people in our city.

Add in the fact that Edmonton’s downtown is reshaping itself and often displacing many groups from their base of operation and the fact that parking costs are rising steeply, you can see it’s a very challenging time for agencies.

So it’s a good time to officially announce that the Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Service will officially open one year from now.

Personally, it’s nearly impossible to describe the honour of having a building of this ilk named after your late father a full 37 years after he passed away.

Longtime Edmontonians likely have heard Dad’s voicing of ‘A Creature was Stirring’ that airs each Christmas on 630 CHED, which was produced as a tribute to the thousands of people who volunteer annually for Santas Anonymous, which Dad started in the mid-1950s.

To highlight, the Jerry Forbes Centre is a 93,000-square-foot office/warehouse which will provide affordable office and warehouse space to over 25 non-profit organizations in Edmonton.

The Centre, located at 12122 68 Street NE, is primarily designed for the administration of charities and training of staff and volunteers for outreach into the community. The facility will include state-of-the art boardroom/classrooms, meeting rooms and event spaces.

It’s one location sharing the costs of 25 groups; no parking charges; synergy of operations; sharing of resources/knowledge; a safe and technically up-to-date and comfortable place to operate an agency as well as a wonderful place to give back to the community.

Since the Jerry Forbes Centre Foundation owns the building, charities will not pay any base rent and will only pay for their share of the costs of operating the Centre. It’s a template that makes so much sense.

Santas Anonymous was first in last year, and renovations are now taking place for the rest of the building. The Jerry Forbes Centre will officially open its door to charities as of July 1, 2018.

If your public service group is looking for a state-of-the-art home, now is the time to call, as JFC has openings in the building.

For further information or to complete an application for tenancy, please visit jerryforbescentre.ca or contact Max Scharfenberger at maxs@jerryforbescentre.ca, 780-686-1449.

If you’d like to financially support the JFC, full information can be found on the website — and there’s a Facebook site, as well as Twitter and Instagram sites @JerryForbesCntr.

Watch this space: Last week I was fortunate to meet an up-and-comer in Alberta politics. Doug Schweitzer is running for the leadership of the United Conservative Party. At this writing, the result of the ‘merger’ isn’t known but Doug stated to me (and other prominent politicians at the meeting) that ‘this is just the beginning’ and has plans to continue his quest to return our province to its former glory in politics one way or the other.

He’s young, energetic, engaged, has fresh ideas and promises a very positive campaign … no mudslinging, like seems to be the norm in most political parties these days.

I have a huge respect for longtime political pal Peter Elzinga. Peter doesn’t throw endorsements around easily and he played a prominent role during the Ralph Klein era.

If Peter says he’s in … I’m in.

And he has.

Check out dougschweitzer.com — or his Facebook and Twitter sites — and help this gentleman along if you can.

Article content
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
Article content
Article content
Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers