2018 was a busy year for the Foothills SNAPS crew, who work in High River and across the Foothills County to provide assistance to special needs families from the edge of Calgary, all the way to Claresholm.

Executive Director for SNAPS Orvella Small says, they've been consistently working to assist a greater amount of families in the area, while still keeping the lights on.

"We had an increase in families, around fifty extra families in total this year. The other busyness, is making sure we have that funding in place, so constantly applying for grants, but that's what comes with being a charity. We're grassroots, so that's what happens."

With the expansive area of focus, Small says, SNAPS will be aiming to add a few more team members to their workforce.

"We'll probably be adding to the staff to make that happen. We kind of need to find a staff person for Claresholm, and offer the services in a more relevant way, by not being on the highways so much, so we can stay in the communities."

The crew will also be kicking off the year of 2019 with the "Show the Love Heart Gala", where participating family members can donate their artwork to be auctioned off in the fundraiser.

Small says, it's going to be a big event.

"We'll have a live auction, music, food and a silent auction. We have an auctioneer, Jimmy Smith who donates his time and usually Charlie Brown emcees from Sun Country 99.7 and AM 1140."

Small says, SNAPS couldn't do it without continued community support.

"I think it's important to say thank you, to everyone who supported us throughout 2018. Without volunteers, businesses and other organizations around, the work that we do wouldn't be as successful, so we'd like to thank everyone who supported SNAPS in 2018."

 

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