If you were able to see the haul trucks out at Quintette, you would notice—starting March 18—that one of those haul trucks had a different coloured box than all the others.
And if you were the sort of person so inclined, you might write a story about how the truck with the different box was shunned by all the other trucks until one day when it used its brightly coloured box to lead all the other trucks to safety.
And you’d be totally and completely wrong.
Instead, the truck with the orange box is being used as a fundraiser for programs and opportunities for Indigenous and local youth.
The fundraiser came about as part of conversations between the owners of the company, one of their wives, and Marilyn Nelson, Director of Marketing and Indigenous Relations for West Moberly Industrial Metalworks (WMIMW) “The owner and his wife had been in Fort McMurray, and the couple noticed they had some cat shovels that were painted pink,” says Nelson. The two asked about and discovered it was for breast cancer awareness. “They thought, ‘wow, that’s really interesting. Really unique and different.’”
The shovels were painted pink for awareness. “It was just for people to see.”
But it got them thinking.
WMIMW does most of the major repair for Conuma’s truck boxes. “And they wondered: ‘what if we painted a box a colour to represent an initiative and connect it to something that’s very meaningful for us?’”
So the company began talking to Conuma to see if it was feasible.
At the same time, Nelson began looking at what other people were doing. In addition to the Breast Cancer awareness project at Suncor in Fort MacMurray, there were other examples from around the world: at the Saraji mine, there was a series of boxes painted different colours: blue for mental wellness, pink for female diversity, a box with Indigenous artwork, one coloured teal for their LGBTI+ ally network, and a truck emblazoned with working with disabilities artwork.
These further inspired the company, who decided that they wanted to focus on advancing reconciliation. But then the question was: how could they make this into something bigger? So the company decided to use the initiative to raise funds as well as create awareness.
Here’s how it will work. Over the course of the next six months, the Hope Truck is expected to carry between 5700 and 8400 loads. Companies (or individuals) can choose to sponsor the truck at one of four levels. Bronze sponsors (of which there will be eight) commit to donating $0.50 per load, which means that at the end of the six month, they will donate between $2850 and $4200 to the Hope Truck initiative. The six silver level sponsors commit to donate $0.75 per load, or between $4275 and $6300. The four gold sponsors commit to donate $1 per load, or between $5700 and $8400 and the four top-level platinum sponsors pledge to donate $1.25 per load, or between $7125 and $10,500.
“We wanted to do something that connected the communities together, because Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, West Moberly, Saulteau, McLeod Lake and the other Indigenous nations around are close, but I think there is a challenge to really connect the communities together. So we decided for this first initiative to connect it to reconciliation. To bring the communities together and support all of the communities in one initiative.”
With that in mind, the conversation expanded to include Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, West Moberly and Saulteau. “They all gave us full support,” says Nelson. “They were very excited and I think it just connects so well and brings everybody together to learn more about each other, and also to build stronger relationships.”
One of the things coming out of those discussions with West Moberly was how the youth of those communities face barriers accessing education, sports, cultural programs and leadership opportunities. “That was a really big piece for them, and we were absolutely supportive of that. When I met with the mayor of Chetwynd, he brought forward the lack of youth sports program in the schools and that is something that they would like to connect this initiative to.”
In Tumbler Ridge, she says, Mayor Darryl Krakowka talked about how the community is lacking in educational information around local Indigenous communities. “So having more maps, more access to knowledge about indigenous communities and, creating more opportunities for a learning environment in and around Tumbler Ridge.”
With the Saulteau First Nation, there was a desire to see more youth programs. “Again, they do face barriers. Some students aren’t able to play sports because of the cost. So being able to provide support for that. Sports are such a big piece of growing up, and how youth can create a life they want. It’s really difficult when they’re restricted to not being able to play those sports or be a part of those programs.”
These were the issues each community brought forward, and Nelson says it was important that each community got to decide where the funding was going.
The program will start on March 18 with an invitation-only ceremony out at Quintette, where the orange box will be living for the next six months. At the end of that time frame (mid-September), the plan is to have a final celebration, a ticketed event which will also be a fundraiser. “When we have the end of the year celebration, each community will get a chance to explain how this makes a difference in their community: whether that’s education, cultural programs or youth sports. They get to decide instead of us picking something that maybe doesn’t reflect what’s needed in the community because each community’s different and each one has different initiatives that they need to focus on.”
The company will be building a website where people who might want to donate a fixed amount can make a donation. The website will also be tracking how many loads to date the truck has made.
“I’m also hoping to do an event midway through, too, so if anyone wanted to sponsor the project in some way, there’ll be lots of opportunities along the six month duration of the fundraiser.”
At the end of the project, the box will be removed from active service, cleaned up and shipped to Chetwynd where it will sit for ten days. “If anyone wants to see it, or take pictures with it, they can. It will stay there as a symbol of the fundraiser and then the final celebration will take place September 27, just before national Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30.”
Nelson says that she’s always interested to hear what others have to say and to get their feedback, as well as take their donations to the project. “I’ve had some really fantastic conversations with other companies and other people that are providing support in different ways. So I think there’s this is an open-ended conversation and I’m hoping to address any ideas and thoughts that other people in the community have that want to be a part of it.”
Marilyn Nelson can be contacted at marilyn.n@imwgroup.ca.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
