Merit grant connects Hilltop students to Repeat Boutique

A new partnership has formed in Whitecourt between Hilltop High School, Northern Gateway Public Schools, Friends of Whitecourt, Repeat Boutique, and Merit Contractors Association. Announced on Tuesday, December 13 with all parties present at Repeat Boutique, the partnership will be a dual credit learning opportunity for Hilltop students and will be a significant contribution to the community as well.

Over its 50-year history, Repeat Boutique has donated over $3,000,000 to the Whitecourt hospital and to health and wellness initiatives within the community. After so many years of constant use, the interior store space needs some attention. The shop is 100 per cent volunteer-run by the Friends of Whitecourt Society, and doing the needed work has always been placed on the back burner as the main goal of raising funds for the community has always taken precedent.

Thanks to a generous grant from Merit Contractors totaling $150,000, Repeat Boutique will receive a much-needed makeover at the hands of Hilltop students. The initiative will give students a chance to learn about different trades through hands-on experience and see if those are career options they would be interested in pursuing. Students will be painting and helping with shelving and improvising displays. Improving the functionality of the space for both volunteers and shoppers alike will be the top priority.

Line Polton, VP Government Relations for Merit, said they have been chatting with Northern Gateway over the last couple of years and were happy that it worked out this fiscal year. “Northern Gateway had a very good proposal. It interacted between the trades exposure, the actual technical skills and, on this part of the grant, around the volunteerism and giving back to the community. We were very excited to see a partnership with this organization in order to provide the students with this experience.”

In the last two years Merit has granted 17 school boards including Northern Gateway. “Merit Contractors represents about 1,400 construction companies in Alberta. We have 50,000 employees who are on our benefit plan and are represented by those 1,400 members. We represent the open-shop sector of construction. Overall, we represent about 80 per cent of construction in Alberta,” said Line, adding that seeing grant projects come together is “the best part of my job.”

Lisa Bakos, Communications Officer for Northern Gateway, said there will be students from grades 10 to 12 participating, “They begin in January and it will be ongoing. The funds will be used to assist the Repeat Boutique in any way they need help which includes building and designing furniture, building shelving, merchandising and marketing, website design, assisting customers, signage, and the list goes on. It’s a pretty great opportunity for Hilltop students and for the community.”

“Repeat Boutique is a great thing that helps a lot of people in this town and it’s amazing to see that it’s going to be upgraded and be able to help people more,” said Hilltop High student Ashley Cairns who will be one of many students taking part in the project. Student Rachel Wise will be working on the media side and is creating a video focused on the money that has been raised by the store over the years. She wants to showcase how much good the money has done and share the message that “you don’t have to be needy to come here.”

Those on hand for the announcement included a selection of Hilltop students, Friends of Whitecourt President Val Scott, Hilltop Principal Brent Northcott, Northern Gateway Superintendent Kevin Andrea, a few Northern Gateway staff, and Merit representatives including Communications Manager Kevin Armstrong and VP Government Relations Line Porton.