After years of dealing with a leaky roof, the Indigenous Christian Fellowship (ICF) will finally not have to worry about water dripping on its staff and patrons.
This comes as students from Regina Skills and Trades Centre’s residential roofing course class are redoing the non-profit organization’s roof free of charge.
Under the direction of instructor Mitch Kot of M&M Roof Repairs, the students are taking their training to the site by reroofing ICF’s roof.
Jarrett Gordon, one of the students in the roofing course, used to play basketball at the ICF and received a bike through the organization.
“Helping out the community and helping out here has really been something that’s good on the heart,” he said. “It feels good giving back.”
Gordon said the program and the centre have opened his door to new opportunities and experiences.
“I was unemployed for a year. I applied for the program, and they let me in. From that point on, I just wanted to work and showcase who I am and what the program is,” he said. “It’s honestly one of the best programs you could probably do because you learn a lot of new things—not just about roofing, but a lot of things about yourself in the meantime.”
The building improvement would have initially cost ICF well over $70,000. However, with RTSC students providing the labour at no cost and the community’s generosity with donations and materials supplied at reduced pricing, this project has decreased to $15,000.
Bert Adema, the executive director of Indigenous Christian Fellowship, is grateful for the fellowship’s selection.
“We’ll still spend a bit of money, but 80 per cent less than we would do if we didn’t have the sponsorship of Regina Trades and Skills Centre and Mitch Cott,” he said. “I can use that money for all the other programs that we do at this ministry. It’s a real blessing for us to have that support and a good, safe, dry environment in which to continue working.”
Melissa Dobrowolski, Operations Manager with Regina Trade and Skills, says they pride themselves on providing hands-on learning to students while helping out local organizations.
“Being that Regina Trades and Skills is a non-profit itself, being able to give back to non-profit organizations is huge,” she said. So we provide all the labour at no cost out in the community, and then we get amazing donations.”
Dobrowolski said community partners like Convoy Supply Inc., M&M Roof Repairs, Construction Specifications Canada, and Loraas Regina donated to the project.
