PetroChina Canada Ltd. Leaders visit Fort McMurray and see their donor dollars at work.

The Northern Lights Health Foundation (NLHF) was grateful to spend some time with leaders from PetroChina Canada Ltd. (PetroChina) today at Westview School.  PetroChina is one of the generous donors to the HeartMath program that was launched in October at schools in the Fort McMurray Catholic School Division, Fort McMurray Public School Division and Northlands School Division.

PetroChina’s Mr. Jilin Fu, President & CEO, Ms. Yanmeng Ji, Deputy Director of HR, Heather Scott, General Manager Oilsands, and Kristi Baron, Lead, Corporate Communications, along with Cindy Amerongen and Lorna Ash of the NLHF were welcomed by staff and students of Westview School.  “Being able to see the technology and program at work in the classroom and witness the impact the HeartMath program is going to have on these students was incredible.  We are so pleased to be able to be a part of supporting the in-school program,” says Mr. Fu.

HeartMath uses mental health and stress release tools and techniques to help reduce anxiety and promote student learning and success. By offering HeartMath in schools, local elementary, middle and high school students, as well as educators, will have enhanced and appropriate coping skills to deal with stress.

This region is one of the only areas in Canada offering in-school HeartMath programming however, HeartMath is used in more than 1,000 schools in North America and Great Britain. In our region, each of the three local school divisions will determine how and when they roll programming out to best meet the needs of their students.  Locally a total of 34 schools from Conklin to Fort Chipewyan will receive the HeartMath materials.  The donation is being used by local AHS addiction and mental health staff to launch HeartMath for Healthy Schools.

The NLHF would like to thank PetroChina for their support and their visit to see their donor dollars at work.  We would also like to extend our appreciation to the staff and students of Westview School for their HeartMath demonstration and hospitality.

“Launching HeartMath in schools across the region is the result of an extensive two-year collaboration effort between the Health Foundation, local school divisions, AHS and multiple community partners, such as ConocoPhillips Canada, Cenovus Energy Inc., PetroChina Canada Ltd. and the Canadian Red Cross,” says Cindy Amerongen, executive director of the NLHF.