Brogan Safety Supplies and Blue Sky Resources, giving back to the community one backpack at a time

On Friday last week, Brogan Safety Supplies and Blue Sky Resources joined forces to hold a free community-minded BBQ in the Whitecourt Chamber of Commerce parking lot. Pegged as a back-to-school event, the dual crews gave out backpacks pre-filled with school supplies completely free of charge. “I recall that, back in the day, I was raised by a single mom. Back-to-school is full of anxiety for the kids and mom and dad, especially if you don’t have the funds. That’s a negative on an education thing, and we wanted to make it a positive. So, we put together 100 backpacks with all the essentials stuff for grades one and two,” explained Marc Chayer, Branch Manager for Brogan Safety Supplies.

Chayer said they wanted to create an event where people could come down, grab a bite to eat, have some fun, and leave with something that would make them feel good. Burgers on the grill and cookies and snocones for dessert made for a perfect lunchtime stop. “They can get a balloon, play on the bouncy castle if they want to and grab their school supplies so that when the kids go back, no matter what, they’ve got new stuff. It removes that anxiety and makes it fun instead.”

In leading up to the BBQ, Chayer chatted with Darin Allen, Production Superintendent for Blue Sky Resources, and Chayer said Allen immediately pledged money and resources towards the event. “Blue Sky Resources wants to be involved locally. They want to be part of this and are not the only ones. We had people here from Paramount in Fox Creek, and they want to replicate this there,” explained Chayer.

“ANC said they would like to get involved too and then the Chamber said, hey, we’ve got a location right downtown, so, everybody came together. It’s really cool how it worked out. Blue Sky staff are manning the BBQs with our Brogan people, and people are enjoying themselves. No questions asked. If you need it, come, and get it. We want all kids to look forward to going back to school.”

Not only were staff from both businesses on hand but so were some family members. Chayer’s daughter worked the snocones machine, and his wife helped hand out drinks. “Our sales guy’s daughter baked 150 cookies. It’s cool because everyone got into it in their own way.”

Chayer said this type of community-minded event could be a jumping-off point for other area businesses as a challenge to try and fix just one problem. “This whole thing is being done for less than three grand, with three companies that came together. That’s the message. What can we accomplish if we can replicate this and do a few different things? We are pretty proud of it,” he smiled.

Chayer drove to the RCMP detachment to invite officers to come and grab lunch. He did the same at the Whitecourt Fire Department. “No Frills literally donated all the meat. As soon as they heard what we were doing, they asked us what we needed and gave it to us. Anyone who knows the price of meat knows what I’m talking about. That’s huge. We didn’t even ask. They just stepped up and helped us. They are amazing,” said Chayer.

Walmart staff also helped a ton in putting together the backpacks. “Our staff went in with the list, and their staff told us to come back the next day, and they would have it all pulled out for us. What they didn’t have, they gave us even better, and price matched it. And shout out to the staff at Mcdonald’s too. They set up 100 five-dollar cards for us. So, thank you to them for taking the time to do that. My staff is pumped. Their morale went up a thousand percent on this. It’s good for the spirit,” said Chayer. 

For Allen from Blue Sky Resources, taking part in the event was a moral boost for them too. “This is great. We wanted to be part of it and make it a longstanding event that we do every year. It’s good to give back to the community, and that’s important to us. Blue Sky wants to have a big part in the communities where we operate.”

New to the area, Blue Sky Resources came to Whitecourt in November following a buy-up of pre-existing assets. Their district office is in town, and working with stakeholders and community groups is essential to their growth plans. “All of us are familiar with the area as we were with the previous company. It feels great to hand a backpack to a child. It’s tremendous. The smile on their faces is great to see. I think the turnout was great. This is year one, and I know that in the next years, it’s only going to get better,” noted Allen.

Anyone who didn’t have the opportunity to attend the BBQ and would appreciate receiving a backpack for their child is encouraged to reach out to Whitecourt’s Brogan Safety Supplies. “Call us,” said Chayer. “We will figure it out. We kind of planned for that because we feared that we wouldn’t have enough. What we have left over, we will bring to our branch. People don’t have to worry about it. We aren’t asking questions. If you’ve got a kid that needs it, come by, or call, and we will look after it.”

Chayer added that any local agencies that know of a family that might appreciate a backpack ahead of back-to-school should also reach out. Chayer also said to call him if anyone has an idea of a problem that needs fixing or a need that needs filling. “This is what we do. If anyone has ideas for future events, please let us know.”