Central Alberta Co-op is helping a school program in Lacombe with new funding.
Co-op donated $50,000 to Roofs 4 Kids, a project that will fund a baby goat barn with a living rooftop garden. The aim is to give students an experience working with horticulture and animal therapy.
“I can’t wait to have baby goats and a rooftop garden next year, because of the exciting educational opportunities it will bring to our school and community,” said Taylor Perez, a Grade 11 EcoVision leader from Lacombe Composite High School.
According to the Alberta Environment and Parks website, EcoVision students are building an animal sanctuary with a living roof to house some goats, which will eat the invasive weeds around the schoolyard.
The initiative will lead to the development of a new animal husbandry program at the school.
The donation comes from the Co-op Community Spaces program, which has been developed to help protect, beautify and improve spaces across Western Canada.
In 2020, the program is providing $1 million to 17 community projects from Vancouver Island to Manitoba. Since 2015, Co-op has donated $9.5 million to 132 projects.
“We’re excited to help fund the Roofs 4 Kids project through Co-op Community Spaces. Investing in our community is a value of our Co-op, and we’re proud to be part of this program that’s investing in projects to improve communities across Western Canada,” said Rodney Perigny, chief executive officer of Central Alberta Co-op.