Tom Henihan
Express Staff
On Friday, September 30, École Héritage participated in the Francothon, a donor night event hosted in various towns and cities in the province in conjunction with the main La Fondation franco-albertaine held in Edmonton.
École Héritage aimed to raise an initial $10,000, the amount needed to activate a fund through the Fondation franco-albertaine for the support of future cultural activities at the school.
The École Héritage Francothon wine and cheese evening took place in the school gymnasium with artist Chantal Nicolet on location creating a beeswax canvas, which along with other canvases was auctioned at the end of the evening.
The École Héritage Foundation fund reached that first goal of $10,000, collecting $7,020 in donations and $1,120 for the art works sold by silent auction at the Francothon.
A garage sale last spring raised $2092 bringing the total to $10,232.
“Showcasing the talents of local French artists was essential to the success of the event, as it is always important for us to create the sense of belonging within the French community,” says Ecole Heritage Principal, Nicole Walisser. “We all recognize the importance of language and cultural identity.”
A donor tree, mounted in École Héritage lobby was unvailed on the evening of the Francothon event and will soon reflect the contributions of families that have donated to fund.
