"Trip of a lifetime" for Pelican Narrows youth
- EFN Staff | October 18, 2014
A trip of a lifetime for 40 youth from Pelican Narrows was made possible by hard work, sacrifice and community commitment.
Weldon McCallum is a Youth Worker for PBCN Health Services and he and a friend had a conversation about how awesome it would be to take youth camping to the Alberta mountains… especially youth who have never had the chance to experience such a sight and adventure.
“That night I went to bed I said to myself ‘I’m going to do it! Im going to take 40 kids camping in the mountains.’ Boy, did I ever have my work cut out for me,” admitted McCallum. He did research on the internet about cost and gathered up a team of community volunteers to work alongside the Pelican Narrows Youth Council to help make this trip a reality. Their first fundraiser didn’t go so well. “The following next month we help a Truck Fish Derby as a fundraiser, we were successful but not as much as we wanted, we made a total of $435. Throughout the year we did fish derbies, Canteen Fundraisers, Community Radio Bingos, and how ever else we could fundraise, and with the help of PBCN Local Council and Community School we managed to raise $33,000.00.”
There were lots of nerves the day before the trip but they were able to take a total 42 youth and children along with 10 chaperones camping in Banff National Park. On route they stayed at Calgary to tour the Calgary Tower but when they hit Banff, McCallum knew it was going to be special.
“Before we checked into our camp ground… the looks on the youths faces was priceless. Their eyes were glued to the window just in amazement,” he said.
“We camped in Banff for 2 nights, waking up from the outdoors to see the surrounding mountain was breath taking. In Banff we got to go up Sulfur Mountain and walked the trail which is where the group picture was taken. On route to Jasper we got to tour the Glacier Sky Walk which was a new tourist attraction that opened this year. That experience alone was both scary and made your heart skip a beat standing over a two thousand foot drop on Plexiglas on the edge of a mountain.”
Throughout the rest of our trip the youth enjoyed the scenic sights of Jasper National Park and a night in Edmonton and spent a whole day in West Edmonton Mall. “On the way home from our trip I have to admit I was a bit sad that it was all coming to an end, and in a way I felt relieved that it was over and that I have accomplished one of the biggest goals I set before my young life in taking these kids on this trip,” added McCallum. “We couldn’t have done it without the sponsors though. We have to thank Angela Merasty and our Chaperones Betty Highway, Mary Jane Michel, Helen Morin, Harolda Merasty, Rapheal Linklater Jr., Lindy Michel, Preston McCallum, and Myrtle Ballantyne. Also Thanks to our sponsors Pelican Narrows Education who allowed us to use their Bingo License for fundraising and to Pelican Narrows Local Council for their Sponsorship of the Bus that we rented from Prince Albert Northern Bus Lines. I would also like to mention that this trip was a challenge… but not impossible. If people from Pelican Narrows could do it for their youth, anyone anywhere can do it.”