How can you say anything bad about the Make-a-Wish Foundation? The truth is you can't. They work…read moreeveryday to make wishes from true for children that are dealing with life threatening medical conditions. It's a great organization to donate too and if you visit the website you can see that they hope to make 65 wishes come true this year. That can't be an easy task at all but they work extremely hard to try and make it happened. I suggest that at the very least you visit the website and see how you can help.

I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with Eldon Johnson, the chief executive officer of this…read moreamazing organization, and he moved me to tears with stories of the miracles the Northern Alberta chapter have made happen for children and families whose lives are extremely challenged with illnesses. Every day they work to make dreams come true - whether it's sending a child and their family to Disney Land, giving them the thrill of meeting their favorite celebrity or taking an adventure they've always wanted to go on. Johnson has been part of hundreds of wishes, and when I met him he was involved in sponsoring a Home Makeover for a family with nine adoptive kids who risked losing them if they didn't pass new licensing standards put in place by the government. Eldon made some calls to people who made some calls to people and soon they had over 40 companies in Edmonton willing to help renovate the home. We live in a culture that turns a blind eye to suffering every day. If you want to be touched by magic, the Make-a-wish Foundation is a great place to volunteer or sponsor.

Operation Friendship is an inner city organization that serves seniors in terms of housing and…read moreother forms of support. Seniors are one of the most vulnerable groups in society (apart from children) and are often the victims of neglect and abuse. OP manages several apartment buildings in the 95th street area for seniors, and also offers assistance with daily tasks like shopping and a drop-in centre for socializing and receiving support for daily tasks. The people who work there are concerned and caring, and the people who use the services really benefit. This is another organization that helps make the inner city better.

I had the privilege of volunteering for a few hours at the Edmonton Food Bank .I was very impressed…read morewith the quality of food available for those who need it. This is a very well organized and very clean work place. The staff on site were helpful, kind and patient for a first time volunteer. I will be returning to help out at THE EDMONTON FOOD BANK. PS-The Edmonton FOOD BANK needs egg cartons. Don't chuck them out or recycle them. You can drop them at a local grocery store that has the FOOD BANK boxes ,or just bring them to the food bank.

Food hamper referral my friend had from a shelter. The lady at the front desk was rude wouldn't…read moreeven check the system. I wouldn't want to ever ask for help and have to go to that place I felt less than and I was just picking up the hamper that wasn't given even with the referral.

I had the privilege of having a tour of the Food Bank and it was truly impressive…read more The Food Bank is well organized and has a large contingent of dedicated volunteers. They receive food donations from all around the County, as well as working with other organizations to share and swap depending on their needs. The Food Bank has a long respected history in the County and provides an incredible number of food to people each month. Some are people who visit the Bank regularly and others come and go because they have hit a rough patch.

Unfortunately I have had to access this service but fortunately we do have this service and this…read moreone is extremely well run by caring, compassionate, empathetic individuals. They do not make you feel any less of a person because you access the service they provide unlike other places I had to access and only visited once! I was astonished at the amount of foodstuffs that I received and the other little things they have in their office. I took in a number of things that I received as gifts that I can't use and they are placed on their shelfs for others to take. The dedication of the volunteers here is phenomenal and the smiles contagious. Thanks to everyone in the county who donates as well.

I have been fortunate enough to come to Ronald McDonald House twice now. Tonight, I had the…read morepleasure of cooking a ham & turkey dinner with my fellow Yelpers for the 60+ residents. I was blown away by both the facilities, the amazing staff, and the beautiful families & the love in everything they do at RMH. From the amazing Quilt Room where each child and/or sibling gets to select a handmade quilt to keep forever to the "Magic Room" which was like a mini Toys R Us for special occasions, celebrations, and cheering up kind of days. The only requirement for residents to apply is to live more than 45 minutes away and have a child under the age of 18 being treated at the hospital. There is no time limit - they are welcome to stay until the child is discharged. There is underground parking, a gym, play rooms, media room, family style professional kitchens... The list goes on and on. Every inch of the RMH is filled with love. I feel privileged and honored to have served so many wonderful families supper tonight.

I've had the pleasure of cooking and/or cleaning here on multiple occasions over the years with all…read moresorts of different groups. This facility is wonderful for families who are in Edmonton because their children need medical attention and who need accommodation for their stays. Each apartment within the house has many amenities, there are sitting rooms for socializing, rooms for the children to play and enjoy themselves and of course the Home for dinner program that prepares home cooked meals for the families to enjoy. I always enjoy cooking here and/or doing any other tasks that the house needs and while the home gets a lot of organizations in (particularly on the weekends) to do these tasks, all the help is very much appreciated and follows food safety and other important standards. This is incredibly important given the nature of the families' stays in this facility.

It's an awesome place to go, very clean and organized guest home. The owners Tim & Brenda are so…read morefriendly and very approachable, being God fearing persons sums up their pleasant personality.

To Whom it may concern:…read more My husband, myself and our son were priviledged to receive accomodations at the Edmonton Mennonite Guest Home while Weston and Wilma (?) were operating it. We can't say enough about their kindness and concern for our welfare while there - it was truly "awesome". The premises were clean, comfortable and always #1 (a home-like atmosphere). I spent 10 days in hospital at the U of A in May iof 2010 - had major cancer surgery and upon being discharged I was asked to remain in the city of Edmonton for another day or two - we booked at the Guest Home - as I arrived my comfort was their upmost concern. Because I was unable to do the stairs to the lower lever, I was asked to use their bedroom and offered a soft warm comforter to help keep me warm and comfortable. We would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone - we would be most interested in getting reacquained with Weston and Wilma - if possible could you pass on this e-mail and asked them to contact us at their convenience - our telephone number is (403) 328-8514 or by e-mail we can be reached at nanajock2003@yahoo.ca. Sincerely with tender thoughts: Clarence and Eleanor Jockims

I have had children at this daycare for the last 5 years and love it. The key word being "love"…read more There is a lot of love at this place and I have always felt that they are providing more than the basic necessities for my kids; they also provide them with love and nurturing. We attempted to move my younger child to a different location when our older child aged out of Cambridge ... we only lasted 3 weeks until we moved him back to Cambridge. For us Cambridge is worth every penny and every minute extra that it takes us to do two drop offs. What is also notable about Cambridge is its consistency. They have very little staff turnover. It is mostly the same group of staff as it was 5 years ago when we started there. There is also consistency in the children present. While families do come and go, for the most part both of my kids have had a very consistent group of kids throughout their time at Cambridge, in other words there are a lot of other families who are happy here too!

The hours are excellent. They are open 6-6 unlike many daycares. My two year old loves it there and…read morethe staff are so friendly and good with him. You can tell they love the kids. They all know his name even the caretakers in the other rooms. I'm really impressed with this daycare and recommend them to everyone.

Great facility to work out in. Safe and friendly, clean. Great selection of programs.read more

Came to the Castle Downs Spray Park today as part of my Yelp quest to find the best of the best…read morespray and splash parks in and around Edmonton. Castle Downs comes in at a strong 4 out of 5 stars. Today was a jam packed Sunday afternoon with so very many options including multiple playgrounds, giant gazebo, skatepark, 2 food trucks - ice cream and a Poutine/burger/fry truck, and the city of Edmonton Green Shack peeps. The Spray park had several zones including a musical piano, spray cannons, and loops of water you can run through. PROS Multiple water and playground zones -something for everyone Washrooms Food trucks Green shacks Huge grass fields/hills surrounding park Ample parking lot City of Edmonton Staff Rubber ground for majority of spray park and playground Lots of swings CONS Too big! So big that it was easy to lose track of my toddler even while playing with him on the playground and in the spray park Zones are not fenced in so if you lose track of your child, they could go missing quickly or wander to the parking lot/road. Close proximity of townhomes attached to the backing grass, again not fenced off, would also make it easy for a child to wander to a residential area. Some people may be thinking, hey watch you kid(s) and yes BUT if you are here with several children (especially toddlers) we all know how fast one can run off while attending to another child. The water cannons shoot water hard enough to nearly knock my toddler off his feet - good for BIG kids but not so great for my toddler and kindergartner Lack of shade - lots of people set their chairs up against the washroom building to try and find shade Very few benches/picnic tables In summary, Castle Downs park has loads of amenities and lots of space but so much so that it felt overwhelming at times and difficult to keep track of little ones. If you have a big kid that doesn't require sight and sound supervision, this may be the park for you! But if you're like me with a toddler and little kid, this park was a little too much for us coupled with a lack of shade or fenced in areas resulting in a solid 4 out of 5 stars. PS - If you are planning on coming here with little ones under 5 - I'd recommend a 1:1 ratio of supervision to toddlers :-)