A 47-year-old disability assistant is climbing three mountains in a single day to raise money so his organization can retain staff.
Darren Olofson a residential team leader with Calgary Society for Persons with Disabilities (CSPD) plans on hiking and scrambling Mount Lawrence Grassi Mount Rundle and Ha Ling Peak starting at 4 a.m. on Saturday September 29.
Olofson says some of his co-workers use the food bank because their wages are so low. “They’re genuinely concerned about (the people they work with) but they’ve got to make enough money to take care of their own needs” says Olofson. “They do have some really experienced staff there and they want to keep them on board.”
Olofson hopes to raise $25000. It’s money that’s sorely needed says CSPD executive director Mickey Greiner. “The funding increases that we’ve received over the years have not kept up with the cost-of-living increases” she says. “One of our supervisors in one of our homes has been with the organization for 15 years… and her teenage son got a job this summer (at Superstore) and was earning approximately the same as what she’s earning.”
