Cultivating hope: Sold-out feast to help fund redevelopment of care home's aging green space

Joe Unrau lives much of his life in a wheelchair.

Paralyzed on one side of his body, he lives at Actionmarguerite’s St. Boniface personal care home.

Going outside is one of his favourite things to do.

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“I’ve got freedom. I usually go to The Forks every day,” he said in an interview on CTV Morning Live Winnipeg.

Soon, he can enjoy the outdoors without roaming so far from home. The care home is redeveloping its outdoor green space, giving a much-needed facelift to the current courtyard, cracked concrete, and all.

“The resident courtyard is 40 years old, so you can imagine that it needs a little bit of TLC,” said Micheline St-Hilaire, Actionmarguerite’s CEO.

Actionmarguerite's current residents' courtyard at its St. Boniface facility is shown in an undated image. (Actionmarguerite)

The new $1.5 million facility will include access paths lined with flowers, sunny and shady alcoves, bird feeders, benches, and wheelchair-accessible swings.

The project was prioritized after consulting residents on what they wanted to see change at the facility that serves nearly 300 people, along with loved ones and caregivers.

To make the redevelopment possible, Unrau came up with the idea to throw a fall feast.

The event is free to attend, but folks are invited to donate to the project.

“We’re sold out,” St-Hilaire said.

“We are at capacity, and the people that said yes to coming are there because they want to support Actionmarguerite in redeveloping that area because we know, and residents have told us, that it’s really important to have somewhere to spend some time outside, to spend time in nature,” St. Hilaire said.

The feast also coincides with an online capital campaign Cultivating Hope, plus a 50/50 draw.

Details can be found on Actionmarguerite’s website.