An organization with humble beginnings in the Edmonton area five decades ago has blossomed into a major care and service provider in Central Alberta.
The McMann Family Resource Centre celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, and a celebration was held in Stettler on June 19.
"It was a really great turnout," said Lisa Tait, the director of the Stettler location. "We had over 80 people."
According to Tait, the Family Resource Network (FRN), which McMann is part of, typically holds a year-end barbecue and celebration every June, but the celebration this year was even more special, being held in conjunction with the organization's 50th.
McMann Youth, Family, and Community Services provides a wide variety of services, depending on the region in which it operates.
The organization began as a group home in Edmonton 50 years ago and has since grown into an organization with offices in Edmonton, Calgary, throughout the central zone, and in the southern parts of the province.
Tait notes that McMann has been in Central Alberta for 30 years and in Stettler since 2006.
The service offers a wide variety of services, from parent coaching and play groups to domestic violence programs and the coordination of the foster care program in the central zone.
McMann's mission and vision are to support individuals and families in communities.
The organization is a not-for-profit which relies heavily on government grants, particularly through the FRN program, which ensures rural locales don't limit program access. There are 70 FRNs in the province, and McMann manages seven of them.
McMann Stettler services 12 communities throughout East Central Alberta in the counties of Stettler, Paintearth and Special Areas #4.
In Central Alberta, McMann has offices in Stettler, Drumheller, Drayton Valley, Innisfail, Olds, Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House, Wetaskiwin, and Lacombe, and serves all the areas surrounding these communities.
Programs offered in Stettler include the newly opened Play Zone, Art in the Park, Babies on Board, family swimming, and much more.
For information, and to check out what the Stettler McMann Family Resource Centre has to offer, check them out on Facebook or online at mcmanncentral.ca.
As McMann marks 50 years of service, its continued expansion across rural Alberta is a testament to the growing need for accessible family support programs.
