Alberta fundraising effort sees firefighters raising money for Calgary organization

Several Alberta wildland firefighters have joined together to raise money for a Calgary facility that offers services and support to adults with disabilities.  

The goal is to raise $5,000 for Eric's House, located in the Fairview industrial area.

Jeremy Sloan is one of the firefighters participating in the fundraiser.

Wildland firefighters work to supress fires in remote locations, so Sloan says they're typically out of the public eye.

"We sometimes aren't involved with the communities as much," he said.

"We're only seen en route to fires. With being so busy, it was kind of hard to do anything volunteer-wise, so a fundraiser seemed like the appropriate response to that."

Eric's House is close to Sloan's family; his younger brother Nathan was one of the organization's first clients.

"He was born with autism and Down syndrome; he's non-verbal and he has some vision problems, but he's able to get around, he recognizes voices and he's a joy to be around," said Sloan.

"He loves coming to Eric's House. He does a lot of outdoor adventures on walks and things like that, and he really thrives here."

So far, the fundraiser has generated $3,405.

The money will go toward a variety of items to help staff improve the daily experience for clients.

Simran Shergill, assistant director, says officials at Eric's House are very touched by the initiative.

"For them to go out of their way to think about this group and what we do here, to make it better for us, I think that just speaks volumes on who they are," she said.

"It's very touching."

Eric's House opened its doors in 2014 after founder Eric Carbert saw a need in the community to create a space for young adults with physical and intellectual challenges to go once they finish grade school.

"Some of these guys don't have opportunities to get jobs or opportunities to continue their schooling," he said.

"It's giving them a purpose, a place to go, a community, peers, friendly faces, familiar atmosphere, I think that's a big a big thing for these guys."

Shergill has been with Eric's House for close to ten years, and says she has learned a lot from its clients.

"It makes you a better person, and you really just get to appreciate the smallest things."

Sloan says if the GoFundMe account raises $5,000 or more, he'll shave his head for the cause.

To learn more about the fundraiser you can visit GoFundMe.com.