CPC Elevate - About Us

Elevate a charter group of the Canadian Progress Club made up of a dynamic group of Calgary women committed to strong community involvement and dedicated to empowering people.

Our Mission

To help motivated low income families break the cycle of poverty by providing support in their journey to long-term self-sufficiency.

Funds Raised

It takes at least three to five years to help one family exit poverty. During that time, the family’s access to education and employment training are important factors in achieving their goals.

Funds raised will support educational training opportunities that elevate people to an enhanced quality of life.

Empowering Families

The Empowering Families Program through Aspen Calgary was created to help low-income families break the cycle of poverty. Empowering Families is a collaborative effort that will assist local families facing various challenges. Funds raised by Elevate will be directed towards education and training opportunities for low income families, to enable them to obtain permanent, sustainable employment. With the help of a family advisor, Empowering Families surrounds the participating families with all the services and support they need to succeed. For more information on the empowering families initiative, visit Aspen's web site at www.aspenfamily.org.

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CPC Elevate Presents Empowering Familes through Aspen with $40,000 in 2008

CPC Elevate Presents Empowering Familes through Aspen with $40,000 in 2009

The members of Elevate were proud to present the "Empowering Families" initiative through Aspen with a cheque for $40,000 at Elevate's sponsor appreciation night March, 2010. The evening included the sponsors and volunteers for the 2009 World Wide WOW Photo Exhibition and Gala. Funds raised at the Gala November 12th, 2009 as well as proceeds from the Photo Contest will contribute to Aspen's Empowering Families program.

Empowering Families Through Aspen

The Empowering Families Project works to empower low income families to become economically self sufficient with the necessary skills and assets to remain in that position. This is accomplished by utilizing a family support worker approach combined with investment in the family beyond crisis intervention that is so often a focus of programs that support homeless or near homeless families. The project works to establish social and financial capital within the families that will provide them with the ability to maintain self-sufficiency.

A thorough assessment is completed with each family to determine their financial status, strengths, assets and goals. Assets are identified through an asset mapping process that considers five key areas that include financial, human, physical, personal and social.

Based on the family assessment and goals, specific poverty reduction strategies are identified and investments made accordingly. The facilitator provides regular and frequent one on one contact with each family providing assessment, joint planning/goal setting, emotional support, financial investments and progress reviews.

Typical program interventions include: budgeting, nutrition counseling, emotional support to help build self esteem and confidence, investment in children’s social/recreational needs, financial literacy programs, increase in skills and employability, tuition costs, resume building, healthy lifestyle skills, affordable transportation, regular contribution of gas and grocery vouchers to offset family expenses, encouragement to increase savings, support for entrepreneurial ventures (in some cases).

Most of the participants in the empowering families program are single parent families and most of the parents are single females. The primary focus of the program is on the “working poor”; single parents are at a clear disadvantage in relation to household income since income is limited to one wage earner. Of the families involved in the program, a good percentatge are new immigrants. These families face challenges such as lack of familiarity with opportunities and services, getting a driver’s license, paying for citizenship applications and finding employment to match their level of education.

For more information on the empowering families initiative, visit Aspen's web site at www.aspenfamily.org.