Community
Introducing the Good Business of the Month: Novamen Inc.
A few of the staff from Novamen volunteering at the Ronald McDonal House // Photo courtesy of Novamen Inc. // Novamen profile written by Ryan Charles Parker
By “good” we mean excellence in corporate social responsibility (CSR). In Red Deer and district, many businesses don’t just do well, they are doing good things for their employees and their community. It’s established knowledge that in order for businesses to succeed, alongside the attention paid to their bottom line, they need to demonstrate a caring attitude to the people within and outside the organization.
Corporate social responsibility can take many forms. For some businesses, CSR is demonstrated by giving employees paid time off to volunteer at a favourite cause. In other workplaces, employers plan a “day of giving” where everyone pitches in to raise funds through a community event or to volunteer skills and knowledge to a non-profit organization in need of their expertise. Another example is the office that engages in online giving through platforms such as Benevity.com.
However a business chooses to express its engagement with a particular charity, cause, or community issue, Volunteer Central wishes to honour the good businesses and their people who strive to make a difference while making their bottom line. In the spirit of GivingTuesday, we’d like to recognize our first recipient of the Good Business of the Month, Novamen Inc.
A business has no obligation in our society to give back to the community. Any company that does help the community does so by good intention. It’s a choice. And Novamen makes such a choice.
“Novamen is the Latin word for innovation,” explains CEO Darren Lamothe.” And we are a chemical manufacturing and distribution company, focused on the Western Canadian oil and gas, mining and industrial markets.”
But Novamen does more than just that. As President Kerri Tisdale says, “we believe that being an ethical business is not only a priority but is the foundation for the decisions we make. Businesses are incredibly impactful to our society and we are each accountable to whether our impact is positive or negative. Being ethical ensures that the focus is on positive impact.”
It is one thing to say that. Doing so is easy. It is quite another to actually back your words up with actions. Novamen does just that and its employees firmly put their money and time where their mouth is.
“Novamen has a budget for corporate donations but also a program that financially supports causes that reflect the concerns or interests of each individual employee,” Tisdale declares. “These can be sports teams, foundations or charity organizations. Novamen is grateful to work with a team that share this particular core value.”
Novamen works with many charities: they help Meals on Wheels which prepares and brings meals to those who may not be able to get out and do it themselves.
They support Ronald McDonald Houses, which provides homes for families of sick children so that their family can stay closer to the hospitals at which their kids are being treated.
They help prepare some meals for The Red Deer Warming Centre. The Centre provides a warm place for the homeless to stay instead of having to struggle in the streets, and is funded by The City of Red Deer. But lack of funds often means that the Centre cannot always provide meals. So Novamen employees take one or two days out of their month to help make and serve nutritious meals for those that are disadvantaged.
They are committed to supporting the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. They have been a Gold Sponsor of the Festival of Trees Business Luncheon since 2016.
All of this is just a brief overview of the help that Novamen does in the community. This is by no means exhaustive, as they offer support to many other causes. Everything from sponsoring sports teams to donating to Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter, Novamen is a good example of a business that cares about the community. For more information about Novamen, visit www.novamen.ca
Each month, we will feature a local business who is doing good for the community through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). If you know of a business doing good for our neighbourhoods, tell us about them at [email protected]
L to R: Cindy Jefferies, Susan Knopp, Lane Tomalty, Bre Fitzpatrick
Photo credit: The SnapHappy Photographer
After a decade of leadership under Cindy Jefferies and Susan Knopp, 100+ Women Who Care Red Deer (100+ WWCRD) is proud to celebrate 10 years of supporting local charities and the announcement of Bre Fitzpatrick and Lane Tomalty as its new co-leaders. This marks an exciting new chapter for the group, which has made a significant impact on not-for-profit organizations in Central Alberta.
Cindy and Susan have led 100+ WWCRD with vision, dedication, and a commitment to empowering women to lead and inspire change. Under their stewardship, the organization has raised over $630,000 for local charities by hosting 4 annual 1-hour meetings. Since 2015, more than 36 local charities have received funding through the group.
Reflecting on their tenure, Cindy and Susan stated:
“Leading 100 Women has been an honour and a privilege. When we began this journey, we didn’t know where it would go – we simply loved the simple, elegant, and fun ‘100 Who Care’ concept and thought it was a great fit for our community. We are grateful to the many women who have stood with us. They are the magic of the organization! We are confident Bre and Lane will steward this leadership role well and we look forward to supporting it – just not from behind the microphone!”
Bre and Lane bring a dynamic energy and fresh perspective to the organization. Both have been involved with the group and have been mentored by Susan and Cindy over the past year. They are eager to continue the collaboration, connection, and local support this team of women have established in Red Deer.
In their joint statement, Bre and Lane shared:
“We are humbled to step into this role and build on the incredible foundation Cindy and Susan have laid. Many needs are at the doorstep of our community and in the hearts and minds of our members. We know a powerful, caring, and united group of individuals can play a huge role in driving change and breaking barriers.
To celebrate this milestone and leadership transition, the 100+ WWCRD hosted the final meeting of 2024 on November 25th at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club. The evening featured reflections from Cindy and Susan, the selection of the Salvation Army as the charity of choice, an opportunity for members to connect with Bre and Lane as they outline their vision for the organization’s next chapter, and a toast to 10 years.
For more information, please visit www.100womenreddeer.ca
About 100+ Women Who Care Red Deer
100+ Women Who Care Red Deer is a network of compassionate, empowered, and dedicated women who make a direct, immediate, and positive impact in Red Deer and area. We support local non-profit and charitable organizations that work every day to make our community a better place to live. 100% of funds donated go to the selected charities – there are no
administration fees, and all costs are covered by the generosity of sponsors. Collectively, we make a difference.
The group meets 4 times annually for 1 hour. Non-profit and charitable organizations are nominated by members. After hearing 3 randomly drawn pitches, the members vote to select their top choice. The group with the highest number of votes receives the members’ donations. Each member or team commits to donating $100 at each meeting. Since 2015, the average raised has been more than $15,000 per meeting.
Membership is open to all women In Red Deer and area. We invite you to join us! The first meeting of 2025 will be on Monday, February 3, 2025.
Founded in February 2015, the organization currently has about 150 members. We are committed to uniting this powerful group of 100+ women who care and lifting the amazing non-profits and charitable groups they support.
Festival of Trees tickets are on sale now! Get ’em while they’re hot!
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