CAA Manitoba Spring 2018 | Page 18

q & A Culture of Caring caa manitoba makes its mark in the Brandon community By Carly Peters

It ’ s saId that you get out of life what you put into it . By that logic , CAA Manitoba ’ s Chris Heide probably has a lot of good things coming his way . During his decade as manager of CAA ’ s Brandon store , he ’ s fostered a culture of caring in the store and beyond . On any given day , you could find him at local senior ’ s homes , developing a partnership with Red Cross or taking part in Community Clean Sweep . But Heide is quick to brush off any accolades : “ It ’ s just part of giving back to a city that ’ s given to me .”
What makes Brandon a unique community ? I ’ ve lived here my entire life , except for some time away after university . It gets said a lot that Brandon is a great mix of city and town — and it ’ s very true . We ’ re big enough to have city amenities , facilities and services , but small enough that you really get to know people and can build great relationships within the community .
Why is it important for CAA to be involved in the community ? Our members and customers
are also our neighbours , fellow parents from our kids ’ soccer teams and business associates . We all want our community to be an amazing place to live and work . And we recognize that everyone has a part to play in making that happen , both in our personal and professional lives . CAA greatly appreciates the support and trust we ’ ve
Chris Heide plays a hand at Riverheights Terrace retirement community
received from the community over the years — and we love to give it back in return .
Does your store host any community events ? For the past few years , we ’ ve been the volunteer host location for Operation Red Nose in Brandon . We have held barbecues in the summer to raise funds
for a chosen cause and we have free battery testing at different times of year to keep people and their vehicles safe . We ’ ve even had local Girl Guide troops use our parking lot for fundraising .
Any special memories from the community ? During the flood of 2011 , we had to evacuate our store and set up a temporary location . We didn ’ t have a lot of space ; not everyone could work at once , so we arranged for our team to volunteer in the community instead .
Over those couple of weeks , our team spent time working at Samaritan House , the Salvation Army , the City of Brandon and the Humane Society . The entire community really pulled together during a difficult time and it made us all stronger .
We were so proud to have been a part of that effort — but we don ’ t see our community involvement as anything out of the ordinary . To us , it ’ s just the way things should be done .
caamanitoba . com / community
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cynthia korman
18 Spring 2018
CAA Manitoba