Vicars School is a proud sponsor of Steps to End Homelessness 2025
Calgarians will take to the McHugh Bluff Stairs on April 27, 2025 to raise money and awareness to fight child and family homelessness. And when they do, they’ll be rewarded with more than a sense of accomplishment and a great workout. They’ll also be able to enjoy an on-site massage from a Vicars student therapist!
Vicars School is proud to announce that in addition to being financial sponsors of the event, we will be the official massage therapy provider of the 14th annual Steps to End Homelessness event held by Inn from the Cold. Our students will be on location at the foot of the Bluffs offering free massages to the participants.
We will also be supporting Bissell Centre in Edmonton with our Giving Clinic on April 28.
About Steps to End Homelessness
This amazing community event began in 2009, launched by Calgary housing activist Suzanne West, and is now hosted by Inn from the Cold in her memory. All funds raised support Inn from the Cold’s work to support individuals and families facing homelessness in the Calgary area.
This year’s “Steppers” are encouraged to set themselves goals that hold special meaning for the organization:
- 179 steps, to represent the number of families Inn from the Cold housed in 2024.
- 534 steps, to represent the number of children served by Inn from the Cold in 2024, and
- 933 steps, to represent the number of family members served in 2024.
Every dollar raised by participants will be matched by the Power of One Foundation.
Inn from the Cold is one of Calgary’s leading charities working to support individuals and families facing homelessness in the city. They believe in trauma-informed care and the housing-first principle, they help hundreds of Calgarians each year.
They run three main initiatives:
- Prevention & Diversion programs to help keep families from falling into homelessness. These programs help people resolves the financial, health, legal, and other challenges that put them at risk of homelessness.
- Family Shelter programs provide emergency and transitional shelter to families who don’t have a safe place to live. These programs give families a safe and supportive place to stay while they work toward getting a safe, long-term home.
- Supportive housing programs help people find and keep stable housing. Through community-based transitional, affordable housing options, and individual case plans, families get help meeting their basic needs, developing important skills, and connecting to other resources and supports in the community.
Edmonton campus will partner with the Bissell Centre
If you’re in Edmonton, you can help fight homelessness and get a massage without having to climb a single staircase—just book an appointment at our Giving Clinic on April 28!
While our Calgary campus will be supporting the community in Calgary this month through our Steps to End Homelessness sponsorship, our Edmonton location will be doing the same thing through our April Giving Clinic.
Every dollar raised at our April 28 public clinic in Edmonton will be donated to Bissell Centre.
Bissell Centre is one of Edmonton’s longest-serving charities working to fight poverty and homelessness (they’ve been serving the community since 1910!). Their mission is to fight inequality and work towards a city without poverty.
They offer a wide range of programs to serve individuals, families, and the wider community.
Programs include housing, employment, and mental health services; services and housing supports for adults with FASD; financial empowerment services, and eviction support programs. They offer childcare and family support services, raise funds at two thrift shops, and run a range of cultural and recreational programs for the community.
All of their work is guided by a belief in strength-based and trauma-informed care, harm reduction practices, cultural responsiveness, and restorative justice. The Centre also takes special care to learn about and provide support for clients living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
