Getting a fresh start

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This article was published 27/03/2010 (5655 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Charles Coffey retired after 44 years with RBC Financial Group he didn’t get a gold watch.

Instead, the entire community — especially aboriginal children — benefited from his last day of work.

That’s because in a unique gesture to a much-respected employee, RBC gave funding to allow the creation of The Coffey Fund in December 2006.

The fund, which focuses on early child development, especially with aboriginal children, has since given out five grants worth $29,000 to organizations serving the aboriginal population.

"These are the people most in need," Coffey said recently from his home in Ontario.

"Money is needed now to help them."

Coffey said thanks to the initial gift by RBC, supplemented by his own family and others, The Coffey Fund now has about $100,000. The endowment fund is managed by the Winnipeg Foundation.

The fund is based in Winnipeg because it’s where Coffey led the bank’s regional headquarters for three years. Of his 44-year career with RBC, he says, "The best three years were in Winnipeg."

It’s also where Coffey learned first-hand the challenges faced by aboriginals.

Coffey recalls that during a meeting with Phil Fontaine, then grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Fontaine said, "Your bank is no friend of ours because we can’t borrow, we can’t even cash cheques."

Coffey said "that meeting transformed my life and the life of RBC Financial. It taught us that aboriginal inclusion isn’t just good citizenship — it’s good business as well."

Coffey said early childhood development is crucial for education and human growth and he wanted to do what he could to help.

Four Feathers Inc. is one of the latest organizations which has benefited because of Coffey’s career. Four Feathers, an aboriginal Head Start program funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, helps children between the ages of three and five in the Gilbert Park public housing community get ready for kindergarten and elementary school.

The funding allowed Four Feathers to start a family fun program, which runs every Thursday morning and afternoon.

The children in that program, ranging from babies to six-year-olds, sing, dance and take part in developing positive social skills. Their parents also take part, learning how to interact positively with their kids.

At the end of each session, the parents and children have lunch or a snack and the child is given a book to take home to encourage literacy.

"I’m hoping with this modest contribution of $5,000 it will help them," Coffey said.

"It’s my way of helping with a hand up rather than a handout… it may not be a lot of money, but it’s an expression of support for a group which is making a difference."

Jenny Sanderson, Four Feathers’ executive director, said they were thrilled to get the funding.

"Many of the children are siblings of the children in our Head Start program, but we also encourage them to bring their friends here, too," Sanderson said.

"Our hope is the younger aboriginal children will graduate into the Head Start program and later become successful in school."

Sanderson said the organization’s early childhood educators help the children increase their development in five areas: emotional, social, cognitive, physical and intellectual growth.

Nicole Berens’ five-year-old daughter Alisha and three-year-old son Liam both take part in the program.

"(Alisha) is getting the educational," Berens said.

"She is also picking up aboriginal words, which I never learned. I am getting back my language through her. She now understands the medicine wheel and sage and she is getting it here."

Berens said her daughter is so thrilled with the program she can hardly wait to get there after her morning kindergarten class.

Coffey said he’s glad a team of three advisers in Winnipeg chose to contribute money to Four Feathers.

"I’m honoured that the fund is named after me, but the focus should be on the aboriginal children," he said.

"Four Feathers is doing tremendous work and they should be congratulated. I tip my hat to them."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca