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The Yellowknife Community Foundation was pleased to be a part of Great Slave Helicopters celebration of its 32nd anniversary in the City this past weekend. An estimated 1100 helicopter enthusiasts of all ages were given a flight around the City and a chance to enjoy a BBQ lunch and other family focused activities at the Great Slave hangar. Hot coffee and other specialty drinks were provided by Tundra Transfer. Parents paid $20 each with children flying free, for a total of $9,671 raised. All proceeds are being donated to the Yellowknife Community Foundation and in a wonderful gesture Discovery Air, Great Slave’s parent company, has agreed to match each dollar raised for a total of $19,342 for the weekend event.

Foundation President, Bronwyn Watters said, “It is community minded businesses like Great Slave Helicopters that makes Yellowknife such a great place to live. Their donation will help us continue to support our scholarship programs and many of the charitable projects the Foundation supports”.

Chris Bassett, President of Great Slave Helicopters, said “Great Slave has a long tradition of giving to the community over the past 32 years. As a northern company we foresee continued growth and community engagement in the future. With about 50 people living locally, many of them working on deployed operations where they earn money in other locales and bring their earnings back to Yellowknife, we are committed to another 3 decades of community involvement.”

Jennifer Burry and Jon Talon, key members of Great Slave’s Management team were on the ground all day helping coordinate the flights. Jennifer Burry commented, “It was an amazing day for the community. Great Slave served over 1200 burgers and families had the opportunity to see a helicopter up close and have their photos taken. As a born and raised Yellowknifer, I was proud to be part of Great Slave’s contribution.”

The Yellowknife Community Foundation was formed in 1993 to provide interested individuals and organizations with a means of supporting projects in our community for the enduring future. The Foundation is not singularly dedicated to any specific area of support. It embodies a simple concept ‐ that people working together can make a difference.

Great Slave Helicopters was founded in 1984 to meet the growing demand for mineral exploration in the Northwest Territories. The company was established in Yellowknife and has operations in 5 countries as of today. The company is currently the second largest helicopter operator in Canada with the corporate head office and primary maintenance facilities remaining in Yellowknife to this day.

For more information, contact:

Yellowknife Community Foundation
Rosella Stoesz
T: (867) 446 4527
E: info@www.ykcf.ca

Great Slave Helicopters
Jennifer Burry
Northern Headquarters Manager
T: (867)873 2081E: jennifer.burry@gsheli.com

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