Native Scotland: Literacy Programs

Fledgling Organization Dept: "I'd stumbled into CUPS a few years earlier, when I was at my wit's end emotionally, physically and financially," says Gibson, who trained as a nurse in her native Scotland before chronic illness sidelined her. "CUPS gave me the tools to cope -- it became my second family, and I was so happy to give back.", according to Calgary Herald. "It was pretty exciting for everyone," recalls the grandmother of five of the atmosphere at CUPS, which at that time had an operating budget of less than $250,000 a year. "People knew that if given the chance, CUPS could help so many others." In the early winter of 1991, Sandy Gibson was feeling good about her life. The single mother of two teenage girls was not only surviving: she was, for the first time in years, thriving. Working as a volunteer for Calgary Urban Project Society CUPS , she helped out in everything from literacy programs to mentoring other single moms, before finding her true calling as a cook. That holiday season, Gibson had another reason to smile. The fledgling organization that had offered her help and hope was one of six charities chosen by the as a recipient of its first annual Herald Christmas Fund. As reported in the news.
@t sandy gibson, calgary herald