ENMAX has a long history of giving back to its communities. Last year, the Alberta-wide power utility, which is headquartered in Calgary, contributed over $1.2 million to local agencies and took active steps to support its customers and the community in response to COVID-19.
This past summer, the Calgary Stampede, a long-term partner of ENMAX, introduced it to the Alberta Cancer Foundation. The Foundation was exploring the possibility of hosting a movie event called Albertans Helping Albertans Drive-in for Charity at the Stampede grounds to safely engage with the community during COVID-19 and raise funds and awareness for Albertans facing cancer. At the same time, ENMAX was exploring options with the Calgary Stampede as a potential venue for an employee event and saw an opportunity for the events to align.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our traditional employee events pivoted in 2020 to a virtual format. This event enabled us to safely bring employees together for the first in-person event of the year,” says Kara Kingston, director of Brand and External Relations at ENMAX. “It was a chance for us to celebrate all the hard work our team has been doing in providing an essential service during challenging times, and to also recognize the family and friends who support them — all while enjoying classic movies and contributing to a great cause.”
In the final week of the event, ENMAX partnered with the Foundation and used the venue to host four movie nights for its employees. ENMAX saw this partnership as an opportunity to support the community, while also celebrating its team.
ENMAX’s Rewind and Be Kind Drive-in event, named as a nod to the retro-theme of the films and good cause, hosted a total of 230 vehicles on the Stampede Infield from Sept. 17 to 20. The retro movies were a big hit with employees; some even kitted out the backs of their trucks with mattresses and tucked into candy and popcorn while watching family favourites such as the 1980s classic E.T.
Since this was the first in-person employee event ENMAX had organized during COVID-19, and the first drive-in style event, a lot of care and detail went into the planning process to ensure a safe and seamless experience for everyone who attended.
“It’s so important right now to continue to find ways to connect, safely, with family and friends, and ENMAX was proud to partner with the Alberta Cancer Foundation to create an opportunity for people to come together while raising money for a very worthy cause,” says Kingston.
In total, through sponsorship and ticket sales, ENMAX’s Rewind and Be Kind Drive-in raised $20,000 for the Foundation. Proceeds were directed towards the Albertans helping Albertans fund, which supports priority projects such as the Patient Financial Assistance Program, an initiative that helps Albertans in need who are undergoing treatment.
“While in many ways the world is on pause, we know that the needs of our community are not, and we’re committed to continuing to support our communities going forward,” says Kingston. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of in-person interaction, and ENMAX was grateful for this unique and safe opportunity to bring our team members and their families together — from a safe distance — while raising awareness and funds for the Foundation.”
