Carol Leriger (left) and Curtis Goodman (right). (Supplied by Helen Schuler Nature Centre)

By David Opinko

Helen Schuler Nature Centre receives largest-ever donation

Sep 20, 2019 | 12:28 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – It’s proof that one person can make a difference.

Carol Leriger personally donated $20,000 to the Helen Schuler Nature Centre (HSNC) this week, which is the largest donation in the Centre’s 37-year history.

“It is absolutely amazing to receive that level of support from Carol and the community towards a new outdoor classroom space at the Nature Centre,” says HSNC Resource Development Coordinator Curtis Goodman.

“To say that we’re over the moon is a bit of an understatement. It’s always nice to receive donations, and when it’s this amount, it certainly makes us very excited about the potential for what that space could be.”

The money will go towards building a new outdoor amphitheatre.

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Goodman explains that the current facility is “well overdue for replacement”, showing its age over time with the level of comfort drastically declining since it was first installed.

The goal now is to increase accessibility in the amphitheater and to have its aesthetic match the recently-renovated Nature Centre building.

“Having a new and improved space is going to make a big difference for the comfort of program participants, but also for user groups that might find themselves at the Nature Centre, whether they’re doing strategic planning sessions, whether they’re doing a picnic, or whether they just want to do some wildlife viewing.

Fundraising for the outdoor classroom started in 2018.

With the inclusion of Leriger’s donation, the HSNC has raised over $244,000 so far.

Goodman expects construction on the new amphitheater will start sometime next spring and open in October 2020.

By doing it this way, he hopes to minimize disruptions to programs at the Nature Centre.