Community Tadbitz: Meet Brittany
“Yes, I can!” are words that resonated from one Whitecourt resident, Brittany Carter caused a snowball effect that resulted in her becoming a board director on the Community Lunch Box Program.
“I wanted to help out and get into the community and get involved because I didn’t know anyone,” she said.
Relatively new to the Whitecourt community, Brittany knew social networking was vital to being involved and meeting new people. On her first day of working for the CLB lunch and breakfast program at St. Joe’s she met Jodie Martin and Shawna Binkley who became her friends right off the bat. Brittany thinks the CLB is an amazing program to be involved with and she’s impressed to see the level of community involvement and people signing up to volunteer.
The biggest surprise in being involved with the CLB, Brittany says, is that she gained employment. “I’ve been a stay at home mom for ten years and through the volunteers I became friends with other volunteers like Todd Fraser , Eric Parent , Shawna Binkley and many others. Thelma Hilland got word of the great work I do and she offered me a job with Whitecourt Care Support Services.”
Like any program that is involved in community work there will be those that speak out negatively for whatever reason. Brittany says it’s hard not to take it personally when she feels so passionate about the CLB. “When people speak negatively about the program, I tell them that the CLB doesn’t just cater to one demographic. Many kids utilize the program for various reasons. It’s important that the community comes together as a whole to support these children. Small businesses and big businesses want to help out. Every year more people attend our CLB Celebration Night. This year’s was a major success.”
Everyone has a struggle and a story to share, Brittany shared with me that she has always had social anxiety and she has tackled this obstacle through volunteering which has lessened the severity of the anxiety.
When Brittany isn’t working for the CLB or Whitecourt Care, she can be found at the local movie theater with Byron Baker and other CLB volunteers. She also enjoys knitting. In the summertime she can be found basking leisurely in the sun on her deck.
