The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2009, Page 30

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 62 #2
Deer. So if we feel that something is amiss,
let’s get our hands out of our pockets and
do something about it.”
Similarly, in 1974, Joe Johansson had
the enthusiasm and persuasion to create a
mission—and the Stephansson House was
restored. Following that, he carried on in
generating support for the restoration of
the Markerville Creamery.
After the Stephansson House and the
Markerville Creamery were restored, the
Markervillians looked down the street and
saw the Fensala Hall—which was built in
1902—sagging on the outside and decrepit
on the inside. Again, a vision and Ken and
Marie Sveinson spearheaded a project to
see the oldest hall in continuous use in
Alberta be restored to its original state.
Following the restoration, it has become a
functioning part of the community—its
heart if you will.
And now, the church, with its cedar
shingles ripped asunder in a pounding
prairie hailstorm and the original sandstone
foundation decaying under the building
that was built in 1907, needs help. The
Stephansson Society as the new owners of
the church have established a restoration
committee under the leadership of Bernice
Andersen and Donna Nelson and the shin-
gles have been replaced. The next impor-
tant task is to stabilize the church with a
new foundation.
Yet again, another vision!
“Visions are cheap,” you say “and this
country is loaded with leaders, but how
exactly did these projects get done?”
A commonality of all these leaders is
they are descendents of the original
Markerville Icelandic pioneers. What their
forefathers had scrabbled together with
nickels and dimes and built with brute
strength and determination, they were not
willing to let fall in on itself or face the
wrecking ball. It became their passion and
for Joe and Ken and Marie and now
Bernice and Donna, it turned into a life-
saving mission.
Another common talent these leaders
had, and continue to have, is the ability to
inspire others to share their dreams—to get
people excited about those projects and
then get the money and the volunteers to
complete the task. By diligent use of com-
mittees with specific responsibilities, the
task is spread over many and becomes a
promising undertaking rather than a
tedious chore.
A major step in any restoration is get-
ting a commitment from government
sources and accessing grants. The designa-
tion of these buildings as historic resources
creates a major funding source through the
Government of Alberta Historical
Resources Foundation. That designation
also makes it easier to be successful in
applying for grants and accessing much
needed support from the federal, provincial
and municipal governments as well as gen-
erating major corporate and private sup-
port.
Once that designation is approved, it is
necessary to obtain a professional feasibili-
ty report including necessary architectural
reports. This involves a bit of a gamble as
there is a period of no money coming in
and no idea of how much money is going
to be required—and it will cost to get this
information. However, on completion of
the feasibility report, a budget can be estab-
lished and fundraising can begin in earnest.
At that stage, it is important to break down
some responsibilities, set up a variety of
committees charged with specific tasks, and
get down to the business of getting the job
done. It is also vital to hire a competent
project manager who understands the con-
struction business and works well with vol-
unteers. Hiring the right person will actual-
ly pay for itself in the long run.
A key component of fundraising by
the Stephansson Society is the use of cre-
ative fundraising efforts that are, in fact,
enjoyable. Every November for the past
eight years, the Icelandic Society has held a
cookie walk in conjunction with a local
three day craft show. During that time, an
estimated one hundred thousand cookies
have been baked by hundreds of volun-
teers. This has raised $28,000.00. Many
years, when cookies were running out
before the Sunday close, ladies—and often
their husbands—would rush home on
Saturday night to bake more cookies to
provide a fresh batch for Sunday morning.