On March 15, 2022, your publication titled “Red Deer resident keeps his street free of snow” featured my Dad, Willie Derkach.
Sadly, on March 14, my Dad’s gas-powered snowblower was stolen from the back of his truck whilst he enjoyed a midday coffee break with his friends.
I’m compelled to share this story with the community not for the purpose of charity; my parents have always pursued life with the most sedulous care, resilience, and generosity. It is without a doubt in my mind that they would choose to compromise frills to continue to fulfill their benevolence.
I’m sharing this story because I believe it’s the perfect reflection of the intersectional decisions all of us have had to make given the global barriers we are up against. My Dad possesses the commodities of goodness, physical well-being, time, and spirit. He made a choice every day to donate his labor to his community. Not only did he snow blow the walks of his neighbors in the Pines, but he would also gas-up his snowblower, chuck it in the back of his truck and make his rounds throughout many communities of Red Deer. He held a mental note of the single mother working full time, the individuals that didn’t have the physical or mental strength, and the parents passing each other as ships in the night. When the snow fell and the citizens of Red Deer were covered in a blanket of white, there was my Dad, dutifully blowing a path of kindness for his neighbors and the lucky random beneficiaries.
My hope is this story serves as a reminder that each one of us possesses unique, complementary commodities within. When you are at the intersection of decision, will you choose the path of kindness like my Dad?
Alanna Ferguson, Calgary