Celebrating Albertans

Every day there are stories of accomplishments and successes achieved by the people who call Alberta home. In this space we celebrate significant milestones in their lives.

Screamin' Brothers
The Screamin' Brothers are four young men based in Lethbridge, Alberta who make and sell dairy free frozen treats. The treats are handmade using fair trade and local products. JR and Dawson Wikkerink, the two eldest brothers, were inspired to start the business when one of their younger adopted brothers was caught in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti disaster.  Now a thriving enterprise with retail outlets in over 25 locations, Screamin' Brothers dedicates a portion of its revenues to helping children in need all over the world.


Eden Full and her SunSaluter
Eden Full is a young social entrepreneur who seeks to make affordable solar panels available in developing countries.  She has invented an improved technology she calls the SunSaluter.  As she says, “The SunSaluter is like a sunflower. It rotates solar panels to follow the sun to increase their output throughout the day - without using any electricity to do so.”

The savvy design can be made from inexpensive local supplies and increases the efficiency of the solar panel by upwards of 50%.   Last year, Eden's SunSaluter was one of five winners of Ashoka's Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition and this year she won a prestigious Thiel Fellowship.  The Fellowship provides funding for two years which supports Eden's work in Kenya and elsewhere as she begins to bring her dream of community-based solar energy to fruition.


City Lumber / Boys and Girls Club
Robert Rosen invited 120 boys and girls to help him celebrate the 75th anniversary of his family firm, City Lumber, on June 24, 2012.  The theme of the day was Building a Dream.  The boys and girls spent the day exploring the arts at the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Citadel Theatre and the Winspear Centre.  Members of Multi-Youth Productions, the Edmonton Symphony and the Edmonton Opera Association led the children throughout the day.  Mr. Rosen said "I hope today begins to build a legacy of young people who'll find creative ways to build their own dreams and ambitions with the support of their community, and play it forward as they grow older."


Whyte Museum
Gateway to the Canadian Rockies is an exciting new permanent exhibition at the Whyte Museum in Banff.  It celebrates the adventurous spirit of men and women who lived, explored, mapped, built and adventured in the Canadian Rocky Mountains from the earliest to more contemporary times.  The exhibit, full of photos, artifacts, artworks and more, fills you with the spirit of these people, carries you through their adventures and sends you home with a deeper appreciation of the beauty and the freedom of Rocky Mountain culture.