For the second year in a row, and back by popular demand, ATB has partnered with Alberta-based Local Laundry to release a limited edition, Alberta Pride crew neck sweatshirt and toque.

This year, $50 from each Alberta Pride sweater and $20 from each Alberta Pride toque purchased will go directly to the Skipping Stone Foundation—a non-profit connecting trans and gender diverse youth, adults and families with comprehensive and low barrier access to support.

"By supporting Skipping Stone, we are creating an opportunity to provide specialized care and access to support for youth in communities across the province,” says Roselle Gonsalves, Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at ATB. “For ATB, being able to provide support to Albertans, where and when they need it, is a top priority for us.”

Gonsalves says this collaboration is a natural fit as part of ATB’s Greater Good Strategy, which is dedicated to helping uplift communities through access to mental health supports, particularly responding to the needs of marginalized or diverse groups who are seeking equity within society.

Local Laundry = local garments for social good

For Local Laundry, supporting the community is part of their DNA and built into every aspect of their business - which is all about fostering a strong sense of community through Canadian-made garments for social good.
“We are absolutely thrilled to support the Skipping Stone Foundation,” says Connor Curran, CEO of Local Laundry. “Knowing that all of the money we are raising is going back to an organization that supports mental health programming in a welcoming environment means that those who need help the most are getting it.”

Who is Skipping Stone?

Skipping Stone is a nationally recognized agency supporting trans and gender diverse youth, adults and families, and according to Lindsay Peace, executive director and co-founder of the organization, their work has grown exponentially in the past four years.

“We have an interdisciplinary team made up of mental health professionals and community members, working hand-in-hand to provide much needed services and support to trans and gender diverse adults, youth, children and their families,” she explains, adding Skipping Stone’s team of 12 welcomes 100 new clients from across Alberta each month.

Peace’s journey with Skipping Stone is deeply personal - it started when her son came out as trans five years ago.

“When my son came out, I honestly couldn’t remember saying the word “transgender” in my life before then, let alone have any understanding of it,” she says. “This campaign is important because it creates visibility and sends such a powerful and positive message to trans and gender diverse folks.”
Today, Skipping Stone’s biggest challenges are meeting demand for services, so the funds from the collaboration will go a long way towards increasing capacity for support.

“Because there are so few resources for trans and gender diverse folks outside of Skipping Stone, there is an incredibly high demand for our services,” says Peace. ”We are seeing more complex situations due to the pandemic and an increase in folks reaching out.”

Working together to create change

Curran’s team at Local Laundry is proud of the collaboration. He says when like-minded organizations work together, the opportunity for change becomes greater too.

“The fact that two organizations such as ATB and Local Laundry can collaborate side by side, to not only raise funds for an organization like the Skipping Stone Foundation, but to help bring awareness for the important role they play in our province, brings us great joy,” says Curran.

You can learn more about how ATB is showing pride for Alberta’s LGBTIAQ2S+ community, and working towards a Greater Good.