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$792,000 for the Zebra Child Protection Center and the St. Albert Seniors Center, along with other charities.
For Fedoruk, the long-term success of initiatives like RunWild are a source of pride.
“My heart glows when I get to talk about the charities that we support,” says Fedoruk. “It's a very rewarding feeling when the impact that your business has is felt in a much bigger way.”
Northern Lights Award of Distinction:
Mike Saunders, Senior Vice President, Qualico Properties
Mike Saunders has always had an interest
in community development. As the senior vice president of Qualico Properties, he’s acutely aware of how buildings and spaces can influence the overall well-being of a city.
“I thought cities were built by engineers, architects and construction professionals. And then I've realized throughout my career that's true, but it's really only half the story,” he says.
“I've found that giving back where you
can and where it matters to the organizations committed to the well-being within our communities is one of the most powerful ways to build a city that you can be really proud of.”
Through his work with Qualico Properties, Saunders focuses on building Edmonton into the type of city he’d like future generations to be able to enjoy. It’s about more than constructing buildings: he knows that social supports and non-profit organizations are essential pillars of any strong community.
“I feel like I'm this pendulum that swings from being involved with arts and culture, but also being involved in the bricks and mortar of city buildings,” he says. “My work takes on lots of different shapes and sizes, but it's something where there's really never a dull day.”
Whether supporting the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, advocating for mental health and addiction supports, or working with Edmonton’s Downtown Recovery Coalition, Saunders contributes his time and leadership expertise to a number of community initiatives. He focuses on causes that are “near and dear” to his heart, and stays committed to them, even if positive change takes time.
“There's still a lot of work ahead on creating an environment that allows people to transition from homelessness, for instance. But that’s a bit of a legacy piece, it’s not something that’s going
Mike Saunders, Senior Vice President, Qualico Properties
to happen overnight,” he says.
“There's a group of us that are really
focused on improving conditions for those folks, and I'm going to see that through.”
Saunders credits much of his community involvement to support he’s received from the leadership team at Qualico. The company’s tagline is “We help build better cities.”It’s something Saunders puts to practice every day
in his work. He knows that the causes he chooses to support, and the foundations he helps to lay today will have a lasting impact on Edmonton.
“I am very fortunate to work for
a company that puts a lot of effort in community building, and it's actually something that we've worked around as a company, it's been ingrained in our philosophy,” he says.
“It’s about people and relationships. That's how communities are built.” •
“I've found that giving back where you can and where it matters to the organizations committed to the wellbeing within our communities is one of the most powerful ways to build a city that you can be really proud of.”
— Mike Saunders,
Senior Vice President, Qualico Properties