Shining the Spotlight on Program Leaders in Edgemont
by Julia M., Sofia N., and Anneleise L.
Rick Wierzbicki (Rink Team)
Rick Wierzbicki, an Edgemont resident since 1984, has already dedicated nearly four decades to the Edgemont community rink. He began alongside longtime volunteer Barry Palmer, back when the rink was a seasonal setup assembled each winter with boards on open grass. After Barry’s retirement, Rick took the lead, guiding its transformation into a permanent facility with an asphalt base, steel-framed boards, and modern lighting. Today, the rink serves as a community hub year-round—as an ice rink in winter, and a street hockey and basketball court in summer. Despite the growing challenges of warming winters from climate change, Rick and the rink team are determined to continue to preserve this cherished community space for future generations.
Cari Middleton and Marty Evans (Casino Fundraisers)
Cari Middleton and Marty Evans are cornerstones of the Edgemont community. In the 1990s, Cari ran our first softball league and Marty set up our first neighbourhood Block Watch program. Eventually, Cari and Marty found themselves organizing casino fundraisers—dealing with paperwork, communications, and volunteer recruitment. Each fundraiser generates $75,000 to $85,000 for the community which goes toward crucial upkeep, bills, and programs. Cari says that being a part of the casino fundraisers has made her a “life-long learner” and is a feeling she describes as “filling your soul.” Marty also recognizes that casino fundraisers simply “cannot run” without the continued support of extraordinary Edgemont volunteers. So, for the next fundraiser, Marty reminds us that “no experience is necessary” and Cari wants to see “just what Edgemont can do”—a phenomenon which they have both witnessed over and over. Marty and Cari want to see volunteers come together to learn, give back to the community, create life-long friendships, and find a place of belonging right here in Edgemont—just like they did.
Jan Brigden (Good Food Box Program)
Jan Brigden’s work on the Good Food Box program began two years ago, when she was a volunteer delivery driver. She is now the coordinator of a vital community resource providing fresh, high-quality produce through monthly pre-orders. Operating with help from the Calgary community kitchen’s distribution centre, Jan and her team of volunteers handle everything from order collection to distribution, even offering home deliveries when needed. But as Jan explains, the best part is forming connections with community members and other families. The initiative’s “no contracts, no income requirements” philosophy reflects Edgemont’s spirit of inclusion, where anyone can order as often as they like. Together with her dedicated team of volunteers, Jan hopes this program will continue making good food accessible for all of Edgemont—one box, and one connection, at a time.
Deidre Harris (Food Bank Branch)
In July 2023, Deirdre Harris started the Calgary Food Bank’s Westminster Presbyterian Church location. For two years, she’s worked tirelessly without pay to support Edgemont. She’s helped many people—some just once but notes the need for more, specifically cultural food, hygiene products, and baby items. By autumn 2024, this location was distributing 20 hampers daily. Across Calgary, about 800 go out each day. This surge began after COVID, when job losses and economic collapse forced hundreds to seek help. While numbers have dropped since, they remain higher than before—housing costs, low wages, and food prices leave many struggling even with full-time work. Despite this reality, stigma still persists, so the food bank runs school programs and redesigned their space like a grocery store. Yet families can’t rely on it completely and most work full-time while using other supports too. Throughout our community, volunteers have been helping the food bank, as well as other organizations, succeed by volunteering and donating. Keep up the good work, Edgemont!
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