Highbanks History

As a Parent Educator with Calgary Family Connections, Bette Mitchell’s job was to visit young mothers in their homes, to offer support, encouragement and access to community resources. Many of these young women were living in basement suites or small apartments, isolated from peers and lacking positive models in their new roles as mothers. They were attending school sporadically, if at all. Mitchell saw a need for safe, stable housing for these young parents, where they could find peer support, community and encouragement to continue their education. From this embryonic idea, Highbanks was born.

Why “Highbanks”?

For Mitchell, the word “Highbanks”, the name of her parents’ cottage, has a connotation of comfort, home, safety, and of being out of the water (on the bank), safe and dry, with a good view of where they have been and where they are going. Highbanks is committed to helping young moms realize their potential so they can successfully live independently and be the best parents possible. The Highbanks community consists of a network of dedictaed staff, volunteers and peers to help them with the many challenges they face. 

Philosophy 

With the help of Highbanks staff, the young moms create a goal plan. This plan includes educational, career, and personal goals, with realistic timelines for tracking and achieving these goals. Each girl is responsible for taking the necessary steps towards reaching these goals. Highbanks staff are always available to provide support, encouragement and access to community resources. Ultimately, each resident navigates her own journey to success.

Early stages

In June of 2001 Mitchell and Lynn Giddings began investigating housing options for single parents in Calgary.  When the lack of appropriate housing became obvious, Mitchell and Giddings got to work. An “office” was set up in Mitchell’s living room. Friends and professional associates were invited to join the Board of Directors, and Mitchell and Giddings began writing their first proposals for funding.  

It wasn’t long before Barb Vogen was recruited. Vogen’s commitment to developing community partnerships and helping with the early organizing of the society was invaluable.    

‘70s Déjà vu - 2002

Our first 70s dance, held at South Calgary Community Hall,  was organized by Karen Koonar, Theresa Morin, Laurie Jones, Michelle Alexander and Bette Mitchell and a large group of volunteers.  Tracey Garbut, a.k.a. Racey Dave Tracey DJ’d the event. We raised $10,000, this before we even had a building or an idea of where it would be, and we had a blast!!     

Garage Sale

Before we could start fresh on the renovation of the Bowview we needed to clean up. We took everything we couldn’t Repurpose and sold it out the back. Lynn Giddings, Barb Vogan, Barb Drake and their families were instrumental in cleaning things up. We made a bit of money, and felt good that lots of “stuff” found new homes.

The Building

Next step – find an appropriate building to house Highbanks Society. Hiesem Amery helped us secure the ideal location in West Hillhurst. Bowview Apartments was close to the Louise Dean School for Pregnant and Parenting Teens, the West Hillhurst Health Clinic, a subsidized childcare facility, public transportation, parks, playgrounds and a recreation centre. This 50 year old two-storey building contained six small apartments with two retail outlets on the ground floor. An added incentive to buying the building came in the Dairy Lane Café. Young mothers who lived in the building could work in the café and gain valuable retail job experience. Highbanks  purchased the building in December, 2002 and took possession March 1, 2003, leasing from the owners until we became outright owners - mortgage free! -  November 1, 2003.

Early Fundraisers:

Kids’ Help Phone Designer Showcase

So, we had the building, but it needed a “bit” of work.  Enter the “Kids Help Phone Designer Showcase”. Twenty-two interior designers and tradespeople volunteered their time and talents  to renovate and decorate the four apartments for the young mothers, a unit for on-site guardians, an office and the two existing retail spaces: a barbershop and a cafe. All the carpets were torn out, windows and bathroom fixtures were replaced and the hardwoods were refinished. In five weeks, this design team transformed the run-down apartments into bold, international spaces with French, Californian, New York and Persian style! The building was open for tours for six weeks in the summer. Ticket sales raised funds for the Children’s Help Phone, Canada’s only national, bilingual 24-hour toll-free hotline for youth.

Chair-ity Event

The next fundraiser was inspired! The group bought 150 chairs from the Calgary Board of Education for $5 each, then gave them to local artists to embellish. On March 8, 2003 the “Chair-ity Event” was held at the Metropolitan Centre. Chairs decorated with cat’s eye marble, images of plants, celebrities caricatures, a fur-lined former ski lift chair and other creative adornments were auctioned to over 600 eager bidders. Guests even played a few games of Musical Chairs and danced to the tunes of TR5, with Barb Higgins as MC. A team of volunteers spearheaded by Kerrie Sprung, Ginny Glover, Diana Hartford, and Karen Koonar pulled the event together in six weeks! Artists, suppliers, sponsors and community leaders, came together to make this a huge success.  Over $50,000 was raised that evening, which got us through the following high-pressure weeks of renovating the Bowview Building in anticipation of the Designer Showcase.  

Our Neighbours

Jim Lawn joined the Bowview family in July 2003, moving his barbershop over from Harry’s next door for the opportunity of a long term lease.  He provided quality men’s hairstyling and laughs in true Scottish style. In 2008, Jim and HIghbanks welcomed Omar Slieman. Together, they operate under the banner of Velvet Style. Jim continues to do his barbering on the right, while Omar does hair styling on the left. Both are delightful and supportive members of the Highbanks family.

Dairy Lane

Previous owners of the Bowview Building and the Dairy Lane Cafe were Pete and Edith Frewin, then  Judy and Dennis Williams. Highbanks took over the operations of the Dairy Lane in 2003 and continued until the fall of 2004. During this time, many young moms worked the fry-cutter and milkshake machine. Due to difficulty retaining staff, and a need to focus on the Highbanks project, the Board of Directors decided to let someone else operate it and reap the benefits. Shayne and Jodi Perrin were the lucky successors to the Dairy Lane legacy. Since 2005 they have operated the Cafe, much to the joy of the community. From the initial “all-day” breakfast options, and great burgers, fries and shakes, the restaurant has evolved into a licensed restaurant serving delicious meals and snacks.

Clearing of Energies

Shortly after the property was purchased, Yvonne Jobin was engaged to clear the negative energies from the building. In Yvonne’s words “There were some lost souls hanging around that needed to be shown the way to the other side.” Highbanks has a Diva, a nature spirit, called Sorelle, that will forever more be watching over the building. The clearing was completed in three days.