The Scona Initiative is founded upon our values of helping and serving our community. As a part of our school culture, we are able to continuously make lasting impacts on communities around the world. Since 2008, Scona initiatives have raised a total of $3.5 million and provided support for those in need.
Last year, Scona Lords came together and raised over $241,000 for Sombrilla, an organization dedicated to bringing access to higher levels of education for rural areas of Honduras. The goal for 2025-26 is to raise over $250,000 for one of the following four charities.
Bissell Centre
Bissell Centre supports community members experiencing poverty and homelessness through a strength-based philosophy and robust operational system refined over 115 years of service to the Edmonton community. The organization is guided by a commitment to justice and a core mission to work within the community to remove barriers and support people as they move out of poverty.
Edmonton’s Food Bank
Edmonton’s Food Bank operates a number of food programs supporting vulnerable Edmontonians. They directly serve over 43,000 people monthly through food hampers while also supplying about 500,000 meals and snacks with soup kitchens, shelters, schools, and other community organizations. They currently work with over 100 schools and almost 40% of all hamper recipients are children. In addition to these free food programs, they support collective kitchens, community gardens, and the Seed Bank. While much of our programming is providing food, food insecurity is a symptom of poverty.
Innovative Canadians for Change (ICChange)
WINGS of Providence Society
ICChange exists to improve the quality of life and security for vulnerable communities around the world — through food, health, and economic security. For over 20 years, starting as a small group of grad students in Edmonton, they have created solutions that have impacted millions of lives. If chosen, funds raised will go to CeraMaji, a social enterprise that is changing how communities access safe water. This partnership focuses on schools and pharmacies in Kenya—where filters can directly improve health, education, and awareness, while building a system that will last.
WINGS offers a lifeline for women and children fleeing domestic violence, but they are not just a shelter. Unlike emergency shelters that offer short stays, WINGS provides second stage and long term housing where families can live for six months to two years. During this time, they receive wrap around supports: trauma informed counseling, life skills training, employment and financial literacy support, medical care from an on site nurse practitioner, food security programs, and specialized childcare and youth programs. True healing requires stability, support, and the tools to build a future free from violence. Their purpose is to help families not just survive, but thrive. They empower women to rebuild confidence and independence, and support children so they can heal and grow without fear. In doing so, they break the generational cycle of violence.