Sudarshana Chakraborty, PFP

While I love volunteering for my community, one of the most loved ones is for The Northern Lights Health Foundation. Health care is the most important priority. Northern Lights Health Foundation helps makes that a reality by working with the community to fund health care priorities in Fort McMurray. It was a lot of adrenaline, outrageous costumes and unbeatable community spirit last Saturday, September 20th, 2025, all in support of advancing local health care. Once again the tiny but mighty community of Fort McMurray, came together in full force to support local health care, raising an impressive $60,000 towards enhancing medical services across the region. Teams of four raced hospital beds carrying a 150 lbs " Bedbug" Sandbag across 50 meter sprints, for the Golden Bedpan Trophy ,Team Spirit and Top Fund raiser title. This is my second year volunteering for this cause. My job was to carry those beds back to their starting position. We ran short of volunteers. My friends from Fort McMurray Bengali Association, a Multi Cultural community, came running, helping me to push the beds back to their start line! While the champions, SMS Heavy Haulers took away the Golden Bed Pan , I know we won hearts for pulling together! Heartiest congratulations to a "Fort McMurray Tough" community!

T's the season that sparkles! Northern Lights Health Foundation in Fort McMurray, organized Festival Of Trees this past weekend. Whole weekend was super busy with Winter Wonderland, Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Santa's Village, Teddy Bear Hospital, Super Mon Hero Son and Daddy Daughter Sugar Plum Fairy Ball! Community members poured in their donations for silent auction, Volunteers from all over the community came in flocks to help to execute this mammoth task, smoothly. Like every year, I was a part of this huge event, as a volunteer too. I worked for the entire weekend at Santa's Village. Along with almost 50 volunteers, I was on my feet for almost 8 to 10 hours every day. In the evening, I tried to dress up faintly and attended the Festival of Trees Gala. I should have been tired like a dog, but I am not! Seeing all the love and Holiday spirit flowing everywhere, I forgot about the hard manual labor I was putting in! My colleagues from RBC in town joined me from time to time volunteering. Last year we raised $860,000 in the same event, for our local hospital. This year, I do hope, we surpass that amount. As of now, we are still counting. I am so grateful to all my co-volunteers and colleagues from RBC to be a part of this great event. I am super thankful to my colleague Gracy Jamieson, who crocheted baby blankets and sent them all the way from Calgary and two of my dear friends from my personal friend group, who came and joined me on Saturday night, volunteering for the Gala! What a beautiful way to start the festive season in Fort McMurray!

It was a glittering night of fine dining and live performances at Keyano College, where community leaders, business community, local individuals all came together to pay tribute to six decades of excellence, growth and impact on our small and mighty community in Fort McMurray. The college began in 1965 as the Alberta Vocational Centre to provide job skills for Northern Albertans affected by the oil sands industry. It officially became Keyano College in 1975, a name aptly derived from a Cree word meaning "Sharing". Since then the institution has evolved into a comprehensive community college offering a wide range of programs in trades, health, business and arts. Keyano College remains committed to serving Wood Buffalo region. Keyano College is a big part of my career too. I wrote my first licensing exam in Canada at the college. Since then, 20 years down the lane, I have been back in the college, whether to write another exam or to be on different advisory meetings. It was even a better experience, when I found other friends and business leaders joined me at the Gala, Here is to another 60 years of grand success to Keyano!