WESTLOCK COUNTY – A father and daughter are skiing their way across Alberta, hitting all 38 lift-serviced ski areas in the province in just 38 days.
Greg Scott and his daughter, Hali Scott-Smith, 23, aim to inspire youth to “take on passion projects with a parent or mentor.” On Dec. 31 they skied Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill in Westlock County.
“The facility is pretty awesome,” said Scott about Tawatinaw. “The infrastructure is nice. The lodge was impressive and the fact that they added a magic carpet to make it easy for beginners to learn how to ski there, that’s a tremendous asset.
“It’s such a wonderful community," he added. "It’s a pretty amazing group of people and they make that place really special."
After skiing Tawatinaw, they are headed to the Edmonton area ski hills, Long Lake Ski Hill, Lloydminster, Fort McMurray, Grand Prairie, Peace River, Marmot Basin, Calgary and wrapping up at the end of January in Banff.
The idea for the Tidbits of Change Foundation started 13 years ago, when Hali was 10 years old, and Greg decided to make their annual father-daughter trip meaningful.
“We decided to go on an annual trip together and we would choose a different place to visit and a cause in that place and we would play music together and raise money for that cause. We played in some wonderful places including the children’s hospital in Winnipeg.
“What a great opportunity for me as a dad," he said. "I get to spend an entire month with my daughter."
Every year since, they’ve picked a new destination and raised money for a local cause.
Greg also has a son, Nick, who is now 27. When Nick was 10 the father and son started to bike across Canada.
“We dipped our wheels in the ocean when he was just a little guy in Victoria in the Pacific Ocean. We got to Chilliwack. Every year we started at the exact same stop where we stopped. It took us 15 years, but we went all across Canada.”
Their journey across Canada is chronicled in a book called The Cycle of Life with the proceeds going to help foundation, said Greg.
"The book has been well received. It’s a fun book about biking across Canada.”
For Greg, these adventures have been a way to spend quality time with his children while teaching them the importance of giving back.
“It’s tremendous. I firmly believe whatever the passion project is, spending some one-on-one time with your kids is such a great bonding experience that lasts a lifetime. My kids are adults now and we are as close as ever.”
Youth in communities across Canada are encouraged to apply for the bursaries through the foundation. This year there are three bursaries available for inspiring youth stories, one for $5,000 and two for $1,000 each.
“Any youth in your communities that you reach, that have inspiring stories, we encourage them to apply,” said Greg. “It’s a simple application process. The main criteria is an inspiring story and includes a parent or mentor.”
To apply, or to learn more about the work of the Tidbits of Change Foundation, visit their website at www.tidbitsofchange.org or email Greg directly at [email protected].
