This spring marked the fourth year GEF communities have come together for Planting Days. It’s a wonderful opportunity for residents, tenants, volunteers, staff, and community partners to connect while helping refresh the gardens and outdoor spaces.
From May 20 to June 4, across 26 communities, we welcomed 111 corporate partners and volunteers who planted, weeded, watered, and added colour and life to the green spaces seniors enjoy throughout the summer.
AMRE Supply at Westlawn Court.Ecopest at Sakaw Terrace.Bell Mobility at Kiwanis Place.Ford Credit at Groat House.TELUS at Beverly Place Lodge.
Residents and tenants contributed in many ways. Some grabbed gardening tools and started digging into the soil, while others enjoyed the sunshine, chatted with volunteers, and lent a hand where needed.
Gardens Grown by Many Hands
We are grateful for the incredible support of our community partners who helped make Planting Days possible.
This year, we were joined by 16 corporate/community teams from AMRE Supply, AutoCanada, Bell Mobility, Ecopest, Ford Credit Canada, North Pointe Community Church, Old Navy Canada, Park Landscaping, PCL Construction, Royal Caretaking Supplies, Serta Simmons Bedding, ServiceMASTER Restore of Edmonton, Source Office Furniture, Sysco Canada, TELSCO Security Systems, and TELUS.
Whether they arrived as a team of one or a team of many, every volunteer made a difference. Everyone showed up ready to plant, no matter the weather.
Extra Support in Full Bloom
Some of our partners found additional ways to help our communities flourish.
AutoCanada donated $400 in grocery gift cards to support residents and tenants.
PCL Construction brought treats to each of their Planting Days events, donated a gift card to GEF Knox Met’s Gardening Committee to purchase additional flowers, and provided 20 bags of soil to refresh the garden beds at GEF Pleasantview and Montgomery Place.
Ecopest made a generous $1,300 donation to GEF’s Quality of Life Fund, helping enrich the lives of seniors well beyond Planting Days.
These contributions continue to help our communities bloom in more ways than one.
Grocery gift cards courtesy of AutoCanada.Plant gift card to GEF Knox‑Met Manor Gardening Committee, courtesy of PCL.20 bags of soil donated to GEF Pleasantview and Montgomery Place, courtesy of PCL.Thank you to Ecopest for their donation of $1,300 to GEF’s Quality of Life Fund during our Planting Days events!
Where Connections Take Root
While the addition of flowers brings joy and brightens outdoor spaces, the most meaningful part of Planting Days is the opportunity for connection, friendship, and community.
Throughout the campaign, residents, tenants, volunteers, staff, and neighbours had a chance to enjoy the fresh air and spend time together. These moments are what make communities feel like home.
ServiceMaster Restore at Strathcona Place.Royal Caretaking Supplies at Ansgar Villa.Source Office Furniture at Brittania Gardens.PCL Construction at Pleasantview Place, Montgomery Place, and Knox-Met Manor.TELSCO Security Systems at Rosslyn Place.
Keep the Good Things Growing
The planting may be finished, but the growing season isn’t over yet.
Throughout the summer, our gardens need volunteers to help water, maintain, and care for these beautiful spaces. Whether you’re an individual, a family, or part of a corporate team, we’d love to welcome you.
If you’re unable to volunteer, you can still make a meaningful impact. Donations to GEF’s Quality of Life Fund help create opportunities, programs, and experiences that keep our communities vibrant all year long.
Many thanks to all the staff, residents, and tenants who planted alongside our volunteers! 🌱
🌻 Click here to VOLUNTEER with us! 💚 Click hereto DONATE to the Quality of Life Fund!
Thank you to every volunteer, community partner, resident, tenant, and staff member who helped make this year’s Planting Days such a blooming success!
🎥 Clickhere to watch highlights from this year’s events!
This Spring, we celebrated the shared efforts that help our GEF communities thrive. National Volunteer Week (April 19 to 25) and GEF Staff Appreciation Week (May 3 to 9) gave us an opportunity to recognize the dedication and commitment of the staff and volunteers who support seniors across GEF communities every day.
The theme of Pride and Shared Responsibility continues to reflect the way our staff and volunteers show up for one another and for the seniors we serve. Whether stepping in to help when it is needed or working together to create welcoming environments, their shared responsibility ensures our communities remain supportive, respectful, and well cared for. This season has been a time to pause, reflect, take pride, and celebrate the meaningful contributions that strengthen our communities.
All of this comes back to our Vision of creating vibrant, affordable communities for seniors. Guided by our Mission to provide well-maintained housing where people feel safe, can live with dignity, and thrive – our work is grounded in our shared values, strengthening our communities, and making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people who call them home.
Our staff and volunteers’ dedication, coordination, and commitment to quality service make a meaningful difference across our communities.
Our Collective Impact
Across our 43 GEF communities, over 500 staff support nearly 4,000 seniors.
Our volunteer program also continues to grow:
44 volunteers and 944 hours in 2023
152 volunteers and 4,173 hours in 2024
247 volunteers and 7,010 hours in 2025
Staff provide daily support and are the friendly, familiar faces our seniors see regularly. Volunteers spark engagement and create new opportunities in our buildings by participating in programs and sharing quality time with residents and tenants. Through their actions, both openly and behind the scenes, staff and volunteers help create communities where people feel respected and valued.
Our team of staff and volunteers create warm, caring interactions that make seniors feel understood and included.
Volunteer Week Highlights
During National Volunteer Week, we shared a series of videos highlighting the impact volunteers make across our communities. Tap each video below to watch.
The courtyard at GEF Strathcona Place has become a bright, welcoming space thanks to a series of upgrades over the past few years. New benches, picnic tables with umbrellas, swing chairs, fresh sod, and rebuilt flower beds have all enhanced the landscape. For the 228 seniors who live in the nine-storey building, the courtyard is now a favourite spot to visit with neighbours, enjoy fresh air, and build friendships.
These improvements go beyond repairs – they create a space that supports well-being and community. With funding from the Government of Alberta, and as one of several buildings owned by the Alberta Social Housing Corporation, the refreshed courtyard adds lasting value while enriching seniors’ daily lives.
“More people are participating and gathering outside now. A group of us come out here in the evenings and chat. One night someone even brought out an accordion and played music and we started dancing.”
– Laurie N., Strathcona Place
“When seniors have a beautiful, safe environment to gather, it encourages social connection, physical activity, and a sense of belonging, which are all vital to quality of life. Our Facilities team takes great pride in knowing that the work we do directly impacts people’s daily experiences. My hope is that every improvement we make helps clients feel at home and reinforces that they are valued members of the GEF community.”
The infrastructure upgrades also inspired tenants to take on a creative project of their own: repainting the courtyard pond. Brenda, a tenant known for her love of painting, imagined turning the pond into a colourful mural featuring a mermaid, octopus, dolphins, a turtle, and fish.
“I wanted the pond to be colourful…beautiful from all angles of the building whether you were looking at it from the side, or from the top.”
– Brenda B., Strathcona Place
Teamwork in Action
Brenda started the outlines, and soon others joined in. The Housekeeping department even pitched in on breaks.
“It was nice to get to know the tenants one on one in this way. I’d never painted before and found it to be relaxing. Other tenants would bring us coffee and snacks, and visit with us while we worked on the pond. I’m happy that I could help out where I could.”
– Sami H., Housekeeping Aide, Strathcona Place
“I love how a lot of people who didn’t think they had the painting talent, joined the project and found it to be fun and therapeutic! I saw how the project brought them joy, and that brought me joy!”
— Brenda B., Strathcona Place
Six more neighbours picked up brushes, and soon the pond project was full of laughter and storytelling.
“I loved working on the pond with Brenda and everyone involved. We shared so many laughs and funny stories. In fact, the pond’s name is ‘Henrietta (the mermaid) and the Mystical Storytellers’ after the many stories we all shared while working on it together.”
– Linda S., Strathcona Place
Pride in Community
The pond now adds colour and character, but more importantly, it reflects the pride tenants feel in their home.
“This whole project, from the pond to the courtyard, is a great example of a community coming together to beautify and individualize it for the betterment of all. From one tenant diligently watering the new sod to ensure it thrives, to another tenant gardener who carefully removed and replanted the flowers and plants during the garden bed repairs – the pride of ownership at this community is remarkable.”
— Peggy Caine, Portfolio Manager, Strathcona Place
A Lasting Legacy
What began as a courtyard revitalization grew into something bigger: an opportunity for tenants and staff to create something meaningful together.
Thank you to everyone who helped bring this project to life. Whether it’s lending a hand, sharing your skills, or just joining in, get involved in your own community! You never know what lasting memories and legacies you might help create.
Summer BBQs bring our apartment communities together. This past month, the BBQ fun continued, with new faces and an extra reason to celebrate. Two new communities officially joined the GEF family!
Burgers, BBQS, and New Neighbours
Tenants from both Tegler Manor and Tegler Terrace enjoyed their first GEF Summer BBQ where seniors and staff had the opportunity to get to know each other better. There was good food, laughter, prizes, and plenty of connections made. It was a great way to welcome everyone into this new chapter together.
Tegler Manor BBQ
“I’ve lived at Tegler Manor for 14 years. It’s a nice, quiet building, and close to everything. We often see each other in the halls as we come and go and say ‘hello’, but I enjoyed today’s GEF BBQ because we were able to sit down with each other, have fun, and socialize.”
— L.C.,Tegler Manor
Tegler Terrace BBQ
“I’ve been at Tegler Terrace for 4 years and have met many wonderful people. Most tenants are over 85 with a few of us in our early 70’s known as ‘the kids’! This was the first of many events with GEF, and it was nice to see what they do compared to what we do as a social committee. The best part is always visiting with one another and the laughter. You know it’s a good time when the volume in the room keeps going up!”
— Joanne E., Tegler Terrace
Two Buildings, One Warm Welcome
Tegler Manor and Tegler Terrace have been home to Edmonton seniors for decades, and now they’ll continue that tradition as part of GEF. With their addition, we can now provide nearly 4,000 low-to-moderate income seniors with access to affordable housing and services in 43 building locations across Edmonton.
Tegler Manor is a 14-story building with 101 units, right in downtown Edmonton at 9943–110 Street.
Tegler Terrace is a five-story building with 83 units and takes up a full city block at 9918–149 Street. Both offer two-bedroom apartments and are already full of friendly faces.
Looking Ahead
With the addition of these two new communities, GEF is taking an exciting step toward our strategic goalof growing by 1,000 units over five years. The transition to GEF ensures the Tegler buildings remain designated as affordable housing for seniors in Edmonton. But with nearly 1,300 seniors on our waitlist for housing, we need and want to do more. Donations to the Building for Life Fund enable us to increase the number of housing units we own or operate.
Welcome to everyone at Tegler Manor and Tegler Terrace! We’re so happy to have you join the GEF family.
At GEF, we believe in more than just providing a place to live – we believe in building vibrant, welcoming communities. One of the opportunities we provide for people to come together is the annual summer BBQs in our apartment buildings.
BBQs, Burgers & Belonging
Staff, tenants, and community partners come together for tasty food, live music, fun prizes, and lots of smiles. It’s an afternoon of laughs, full plates, and memorable moments.
“I look forward to these get-togethers! I recommend everyone try to come out to more of these community events.”
Debbie G., Avenwood Corner
“We see people that we don’t often see. It’s a nice way to connect and socialize.”
Johanna F., Avenwood Corner
The music, the dancing, and the friendly faces all add up to something really special. Press ▶️ PLAY to see the toe-tapping tunes at GEF Groat House Apartments.
Tenants at GEF Trinity Lutheran had a great time singing and dancing at their sunny Summer BBQ. Press ▶️ PLAY.
Even those who prefer their own space find joy in seeing their neighbours having fun.
“I typically like to be more solitary. I enjoy doing my own thing. But what I like about the BBQs is seeing everyone having fun, seeing how everyone’s doing, and seeing the new faces!”
Holly K., Bateman Manor
Community Partners and Staff get in the Spirit
“We’re such a person-centred organization. We love the interaction between staff and residents, which is so important for building relationships.”
Peggy Caine, Manager, Portfolio 8
“It’s the food, the music, the mingling – what’s not to love? You can’t help but feel good when you’re surrounded by so much positive energy and fun!”
Theresa Fielden, SAGE Seniors Association Edmonton
Share Your Story!
As the Summer BBQS continue, we want to hear how you’re creating vibrant communities in your own buildings. Whether it’s a special event, or a creative idea to engage and connect – tell us your story! Share your favourite moments with us at communications@gef.org and don’t forget to include your photos!
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