September 2015 - Volume 17, No.2

Giving Back
with the Battle River Community Foundation
Volume 17, No. 2
Camrose, Alberta
September 2015
Celebrating Ken Drever –
a true community builder
The Battle River Community Foundation is
pleased and honoured to celebrate lifetime
east central Alberta resident, Ken Drever,
at this year’s Camrose Community Builders
Dinner taking place Friday, October 23.
Tickets for this event
are selling fast.
Please call the office
for availability.
780-679-0449
Ken, and his late wife Iris, were both born
and raised in Hardisty, and later came to call
Camrose home. He was the agent for British
American Oil in Hardisty and Camrose and is
also well known as a person who is committed
to making this a great area in which to live.
Ken was one of the original members of the
Battle River Community Foundation board
of directors and among the first donors. It is
very fitting that he be honoured in this, the
Foundation’s 20th year of existence.
Speakers at the 2015 Camrose dinner will
include Ken’s long-time friend John Timinski;
Larry Werner, who worked with Ken on the
Camrose Regional Exhibition board; David
Stolee, who has been involved with Ken in
the Camrose Rotary Club and also through
the Battle River Community Foundation; and
Ken’s children.
Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening will be
Vivianne Grue and grace will be provided by
Rev. Brian Hunter.
A number of live auction items will be made
available at the dinner and bidding will be
spurred by auctioneer Doug Johnson.
Proceeds from the evening will support the
Community Fund.
Inside This Issue
A true and genuine
community builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2
Spring dinner a fun
and profitable event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Ken Drever was born on a day that rocked the
world.
Known as Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929
signaled not only the beginning of Ken’s
long and prosperous life, it also signaled the
beginning of the Great Depression as stock
markets tumbled on that day and the global
financial picture shattered.
For the Drever family in Hardisty, Alberta the
global story wasn’t the main focus, but Ken
concedes that it was a hard time. “My parents
had eight kids,” he explains, “and they worked
their land with a team of horses. They were
hard up. But everybody else was hard up too
and helped each other as best they could.”
Ken’s late wife Iris was also born in Hardisty
and was also a member of a family of eight
children. She and Ken married in 1952 and
enjoyed over 60 years together before Iris
passed away in 2013.
Ken and Iris on their wedding day in 1952.
After finishing high school and serving a
short stint with the Bank of Commerce, Ken
became a British American Oil agent in
Hardisty and took over the business in 1954.
He and Iris, along with children, Lynn, Judy,
Vickie, Cliff and Dale, lived in Hardisty until
1965, when Ken also took on the BA Oil
agency in Camrose and the Drevers settled
into that community. Eventually Cliff took a
more active role and became owner of the
business, which is now known as Petro-Can.
An early Drever Agencies truck, 1959.
It was likely his “hard up” beginning that led
to Ken’s ongoing commitment to serving his
community. Over the years he has always
played an active part in making east central
Alberta a fine place to call home.
Whether it’s taking a seat on the Hardisty Town Council, leading the Camrose Chamber
of Commerce or Rotary Club, helping out with
fundraising for an arena or providing dollars
in support of
children in
need, Ken is
well known for
stepping to the
front of the line
with both his
time and his
financial support.
Iris was also an
active, dedicated
member of local
organizations.
Ken with his oldest son, Cliff.
“We’ve always
felt for those
kids and families who needed help,” he
says. “It just seems to me that if we can help
somebody out then we should do it.”
While he says he has “lost count” of the
number of organizations and fundraising
campaigns he’s been part of and has no idea
how many donations he has made over the
course of his life, Ken is very clear that one of
the better things he has ever been part of the
is the Battle River Community Foundation.
Ken has been involved with the Foundation
for each and every one of its 20 years of
existence. He was recruited by fellow founder
Louise Jensen, who helped him understand
the important role a community foundation
could play.
“I had never even heard of the word
perpetuity,” Ken says. “I didn’t have any idea
of what a Foundation could do. But I’ve sure
seen a lot of ways it can make a difference
over the last 20 years.”
Now, each of the Drever children has a fund
established and there are also three different
funds that were established by Ken and
Iris. “We can support hospitals and schools
and whatever else needs doing, all over our
area,” Ken says. “I like to know that the funds
we started are going to keep on making a
difference to people forever.”
Ken has served the maximum term as a
Board member and stayed involved with the
organization in the role of Ambassador. “I still
go to Board meetings, help with events and
promote the Foundation as much as I can,” he
says. “It’s just a tremendous thing.”
“I look back and I can’t believe how far we’ve
come,” Ken adds. “In the beginning it was
sometimes hard to get people to understand
the benefit of just spending the interest. But
it’s really caught on – people are now seeing
the long term benefits.”
Ken Drever will be honoured at the annual
Battle River Community Foundation’s
Community Builders Dinner on Friday,
October 23. While he’s not thrilled about
being in the spotlight, he says he hopes the
evening will draw a good crowd, so that more
funds can be raised in support of local causes.
“That,” he says, “will be a real good thing.”
Iris and Ken in the ’70s.
Ken became Chairman of the Foundation
early on, following the death of Mrs. Jensen.
He also was among the first to establish a fund
with the Foundation, in honour of his parents
Cyril and Marguerite Drever. The first grant
made by the Foundation was a scholarship in
support of students at the Hardisty school.
Iris and Ken along with their
five children and spouses
Battle River
Community
Foundation
Telephone and FAX:
780-679-0449
Box 1122, Camrose, AB
T4V 4E7
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.brcf.ca
Board Chair
Blain Fowler, 780-672-3142
Vice Chair
Vivianne Grue, 780-672-9624
Secretary
David Ofrim, 780-672-3534
Treasurer
Imogene Walsh, 780-672-6131
Directors
Brandon Kroeger, 780-679-2515
Judy Larson, 780-385-3568
Mike Rodin, 780-672-2476
Marshall Wideman, 780-678-9049
Past Chair
Ken Drever, 780-672-4651
AMBASSADORS
James Mayer, 780-672-4491
By Reesor, 780-672-5709
Karin Naslund, 780-373-2114
Terry and Donna Howe were
a bit nervous about being
celebrated as Community
Builders.
Though the Castor-based
couple have been involved
in a wide range of activities
and projects throughout
their lives and are wellknown and respected in their
community, they were still a bit
uncomfortable with the idea of
being in the spotlight.
It was the knowledge that the
event held in their honour
would help establish a fund in
the couple’s name and benefit
causes in the local area for
years to come that made it
possible for them to sit up front
at a special dinner in Alliance
on May 28 and be celebrated for
all they do.
And in the end, both Terry and
Donna called the evening “a lot
of fun” and something they will
carry fond memories of for a
very long time.
In addition to an evening of
laughter and camaraderie, the
Community Builders Dinner
celebrating Terry and Donna
also generated $20,730 for
the Battle River Community
Foundation, which will be
used to support causes in the
Alliance area.
Donna and Terry Howe
Proud sponsor of this newsletter…
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dana Andreassen, 780-679-0449
ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANTS
Tom and Melanie Kuntz,
780-672-7096
In accordance with the
Alberta Charitable Fund-raising
Act, we are pleased to provide
the following information:
“With this newsletter,
the BRCF hopes to raise $5,000
with costs of $2,000.”
Chartered Accountants
780-672-2600
4602-49 Avenue, Camrose