Tag: residents

The holiday season is always a special time at GEF, thanks to the incredible support of our community partners who help make it meaningful. For the third year in a row, we were fortunate to receive a heartwarming donation from Old Navy. Their continued generosity brought warmth and holiday cheer to GEF seniors and housing applicants this festive season.

Throughout November, staff from Old Navy stores across Edmonton assembled over 330 holiday gift bags for GEF. Each bag included cozy socks from Old Navy, along with something warm, something fun, something tasty, and something practical. These sweet and caring gifts brought real comfort during a busy and often stressful time of year.

A Special Surprise for Housing Applicants

Our Housing Placement Coordinators were excited to step into the role of Santa’s helpers once again, handing out holiday bags. During housing interviews in December and early January, housing applicants were surprised with one of these gifts.

“One applicant was delighted by the kind gesture and said, ‘I don’t celebrate the holidays, but I really appreciate this! This is my first time receiving a gift!'”

Shelley Anna Adia, GEF Housing Placement Coordinator

With more than 1,300 people currently on our housing waitlist, these gifts offered encouragement and a reminder of hopeful things to come amidst the stress of the holidays and housing challenges.

Spreading Smiles in Our Communities

The remainder of the gift bags were delivered by Old Navy staff to seniors at GEF Sakaw Terrace in December. The happy delivery day brought plenty of smiles, and residents were deeply touched by the lovely visit and holiday gifts.

Thank You, Old Navy!

We’re incredibly grateful to Old Navy and our dedicated GEF staff for helping make this season brighter for our community. Through their generous donations and volunteer efforts throughout the year, Old Navy and their Edmonton-area team have gone above and beyond. Their partnership has made a meaningful difference in the lives of GEF seniors and brought warmth to housing applicants waiting for a place to call home.

Join Us in Brightening the Lives of Seniors

Let’s make this new year shine even brighter for the nearly 4,000 seniors who live with us. Our Brighten the Lives of Seniors campaign runs until February 28, and we’d love for you to be part of it! Donations to our Quality of Life Fund bring joy, connection, and comfort to our communities. Your generosity lasts well beyond the holiday season, bringing happiness to residents and tenants all year long.

Donate today and help enrich the lives of seniors!

April 22 – Earth Day is a reminder that small actions can make a big difference. At GEF Seniors Housing, sustainability is part of everything we do. Our goal is simple: to provide safe, comfortable, and affordable homes for seniors while reducing our environmental impact.

Our new Energy and Water Management Policy is a practical approach to using resources wisely, lowering utility costs, and ensuring our buildings are efficient for years to come.

But sustainability isn’t just about buildings and infrastructure – it’s about people. That’s why we’re inviting everyone from staff, residents, and volunteers to get involved.

Sustainability starts with the people who live, work and volunteer in our communities.

Use Less, Save More, Live Better

With 41 buildings across Edmonton, we know that small changes add up. Our energy and water management initiatives focus on seven key areas:

✔ Electricity – Installing high-efficiency lighting, occupancy sensors in common areas, and smart energy management systems.


✔ Water Conservation – Using high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, drought-resistant landscaping, and water recycling initiatives.


✔ Natural Gas – Upgrading to high-efficiency units such as HVAC, boilers, and other mechanical systems.


✔ Fuel Usage – Choosing fuel-efficient vehicles and strategic travel routes.


✔ Communication & Engagement – Educating staff and residents about conservation and discussing ideas for improvement.


✔ Emerging Technologies & Continuous Improvement – Exploring and adopting new technology for energy and water conservation while continually conducting performance assessments to improve.

✔ Client Participation – Encouraging simple habits that reduce energy and water use as well as provide incentives for participating in sustainability initiatives.

This work aligns with our Sustainability Framework which helps GEF meet social, environmental, and economic goals while enhancing both the natural environment and the lives of our community members.

Upgrading to high-efficiency light fixtures, turning off taps, using fuel efficient vehicles, and turning off lights when leaving – all help to create a greener future for all.

Real Progress, Real Impact

The progress we have made since the introduction of our Sustainability Framework includes:

🏡 Boiler upgrades at GEF Kiwanis Place and GEF Grace Garden Court – Replacing old 80% efficient boilers with 88% efficient models to reduce fuel use.


🛗 Elevator modernization at GEF Kiwanis Place – Installing gearless motors that use less power.

🔧 Roof replacement at GEF Ansgar Villa – Upgrading to an energy-efficient roofing system with improved durability and insulation.

Upgrades made at GEF communities: Ansgar Villa, Grace Garden Court, and Kiwanis Place are already making a difference.

These upgrades help lower energy costs, reduce pollution, and make our buildings more comfortable for residents. Every dollar saved on utilities is a dollar that can be reinvested in Quality of Life programs that benefit seniors.

In addition, improvements like these help us work towards our goal of achieving ISO 50001: 2018 certification related to energy management.

How You Can Help

Sustainability works best when everyone is involved. Whether it’s turning off unused lights, turning off taps, or finding new ways to save energy, small actions matter.

Watch for posters coming to your GEF communities and take action to use less, save more, and live better!

Together, we can build a future that’s better for seniors and better for our planet.

A Simple Game Creating Special Moments

At GEF Bethany Senior Citizens Home, a new shuffleboard table is doing more than just adding a game to the space – it’s bringing people together. Thanks to generous donations to our Quality of Life Fund, a portion of funds was used to relocate the shuffleboard from another site to its current home at Bethany. Now tenants have a new way to connect, stay active, and enjoy time together.

Bethany’s recreation room had been quiet as of late, but this shuffleboard table is already changing that. Tenants are stopping by, some to play, some to watch, and many to simply enjoy a cup of coffee and chat.

“It’s the perfect activity to get everyone out of their rooms. Once others see us having fun, maybe more will come out to join us! I’m going to start organizing weekly get-togethers and shuffleboard tournaments with prizes.”

– Paul K., Tenant

More Than Just a Game

Shuffleboard is easy to pick up, which makes it inviting for everyone. Some tenants are reliving old memories, while others are trying it for the first time. Most importantly, it’s bringing them together for friendship and fun!

Game on! Paul K. teaches Janice B. how to play shuffleboard for the first time.

“I’m just learning how to play shuffleboard, and I love it! I used to only come down here to check the mail, but now that we have weekly coffee talks and this new shuffleboard, it’s great to meet up with everyone like this.”

– Janice B., Tenant

The space around the table has become a lively gathering spot, helping to bring vibrancy and energy into the community. Their weekly conversations over coffee, laughter, and friendly shuffleboard competitions have become simple, everyday moments that make the community feel more like home.

Your Support Makes This Possible

The shuffleboard table is just one example of how the Quality of Life Fund has made an impact in helping seniors thrive in their community. Donations fund life enriching opportunities, social activities, and additions that make a real difference.

Want to help create more special moments like this? 

Donate to the Quality of Life Fund and bring more meaningful experiences to seniors across our communities.

On February 27, 2019, Sakaw Terrace (5815 Millwoods Road South, Edmonton) held its Grand Opening. Over 160 residents, tenants, guests, and staff joined us to celebrate this very momentous occasion.

“The official opening of Sakaw Terrace is a very proud time for GEF Seniors Housing as it allows seniors living in the Mill Woods community an affordable, secure, and friendly place to call home,” explained Raymond Swonek, CEO of GEF Seniors Housing.

MLA for Edmonton-McClung Lorne Dach MC’d the event and we heard wonderful speeches from the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources; the Honourable Christina Gray, Minister of Labour; GEF Board Chair Karen Lynch and ASCHA’s Executive Director Irene Martin- Lindsay!

The day was full of big smiles and happy hearts. Residents and tenants who have already moved in were so excited to show off their new home. After the speeches were done, a ribbon cutting to announce the official opening commenced. Cake and refreshments were followed by tours of the building. Guests who went on the tours were impressed by the 70 lodge rooms and 88 apartments, two outdoor courtyards, a communal greenhouse, a theatre room, a salon, a bistro, underground and above-ground parking, and much more!

Seven years from concept to occupation, on November 1, 2018, GEF opened the doors to welcome the first Sakaw Terrace residents. This carefully planned project adopted an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) collaborative partnership approach to construction.  “What this means is that everyone has some skin in the game. The IPD contract has ten parties signed on plus GEF Seniors Housing. All ten of the IPD parties have put their profits on the line for the duration of the construction, which keeps everyone invested in finding those efficiencies and keeping everything on schedule” explains Doug Kitlar, Director of Facility Management. By using this method, the project was able to be completed ahead of schedule and under budget!

The building is currently 90% full and hoping to be at 100% in the next few months. Residents and tenants are feeling at home living at Sakaw Terrace. “I just love the new building. The meals are wonderful and the sugar cookies are just delightful” said a lodge resident. An apartment tenant mentioned “It is my first time in community living and I am more than over the moon. The building, the staff, there is nothing not to like.” One other apartment resident said “I like my apartment. Everything is lovely. It’s beautiful. I like my privacy, but I never feel alone here.”