March 30th was an exciting night for employees of the Northern Strands Group of Companies. It was the NSBA Business Builder Awards and the Group of Companies was a finalist for Community Builder and Safe Employer Awards. The Children's Wish Foundation of Saskatchewan had nominated the Group of companies for the Community Builder Award and the NSBA nominated us for the Safe Employer Award.
Why were we honored with the Community Builder Award you might ask? On an annual basis the Northern Strands Group of Companies gives back to the community in a variety of ways. An employee-driven Committee has been established to drive fund-raising while keeping in mind the other areas of social responsibility.
Right from day one our employees are exposed to our culture of community support and social responsibility. In our new hire pack we have included a letter that explains our efforts to be an active contributor in the community. This same letter explains that we have partnered with the Saskatchewan Children's Wish foundation and have the goal of granting one child's wish annually. After reading this letter, many of our employees choose to donate through our Children's Wish payroll deduction program. This is just the start of our fundraising though.
Throughout the year we raise funds for Children's Wish in a variety of ways; Paper, pop cans, containers and batteries are recycled. Additional funds are raised through yard cleanup with scrap steel and other reusable goods being sent to auction. The Group of Companies holds several fund-raising BBQ's throughout the summer. Employees are encouraged to participate and volunteer to help with the activities during the event. We contact neighboring businesses and drop off flyers in the effort to grow each and every BBQ.
We also have a very unique way of giving back to the community. We use our Safety Training Ambulance to raise money at events like Craven Country Jamboree and other similar events. Our Trainers donate their time as first responders. They offer basic medical care out of the ambulance. Any money we are paid is donated back to Children's Wish.
Every year our efforts have helped give hope to a local family that needed it the most. We believe one of the key reasons we are successful in encouraging our employees to donate their time is the connection we make with the child we are aligned with. Every year we make an effort to meet with our Children's Wish child and their family at a Children's Wish organized event. The last two years we participated in Children's Wish's Exile Island. A fundraising event where 8 employees take the afternoon off to compete in a series of fun events with their child.
We are proud to say that for last 4 years in a row we have donated over $10,000 towards granting a Child's Wish!
Although Children's Wish is our main focus, we still contribute to the community in a variety of other ways. We have sponsored or donated to many other local charities, events and teams; the Contacts, Delisle Rodeo, Saskatchewan 4H club, The Salvation Army, Saskatoon Food bank, Friendship Inn and SWITCH.
We are equally proud of our NSBA Safe Employer Finalist Nomination. Safety of our employees, customers and community has and always will be the cornerstone of the Northern Strands Group of Companies. Many companies promote safety, but our company is literally built on safety. We have several divisions with a direct link to offering safe solutions to our community including safety training, fall protection systems, rigging and lifting, and suspended access. We also perform safety inspections and regularly develop safe work procedures and systems for the mining and industrial industries. We are continuously reviewing and enhancing our own safety and environmental polices. We will continue to demonstrate that our commitment to safety and environment in our community will always be our highest priority.
The Northern Strands Group of Companies will continue to lead by example by supporting our local communities and being an industry leader in employee and worker safety. We would like to thank the hardworking employees of the Northern Strands Group of Companies. Our employees are the driving force behind our fundraising efforts and our safety first mentality.
Northern Strands, Fortis Mining Engineering & Manufacturing and Certified Mining & Construction Sales & Rentals are all proudly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan owned and operated.