The 2025 Servus Charity Challenge at the Servus Calgary Marathon is a powerful combination of athletic spirit and impactful fundraising, uniting runners with meaningful causes, all in support of building stronger, healthier communities.
In 2024, the Charity Challenge raised an incredible $808,000 for 109 local charities, contributing to the ongoing effort to build stronger, more vibrant neighbourhoods. The fundraising efforts in 2024 also helped reach a significant milestone of $10 million dollars fundraised since the inception of the Charity Challenge.
These funds support worthy causes like Servus member, Calgary Quest Children’s Society, who is participating in the 2025 Servus Charity Challenge.
Learn more about the great work they’re doing to provide specialized education and therapeutic services for children, teens, and young adults with developmental disabilities.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the services you provide?
Calgary Quest Children’s Society provides a range of specialized programs and services to support children, youth, and young adults with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. Our approach is centred on wraparound support, ensuring that youth receive individualized programming tailored to their unique needs.
At Calgary Quest School, we offer a specialized educational environment where students benefit from small class sizes, individualized instruction, and a multidisciplinary team that includes speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and behaviour strategists. Our curriculum focuses on life skills, communication, self-regulation, and academic growth, helping students develop independence and confidence by meeting them where they are at.
Beyond the classroom, Calgary Quest Resources (CQR) offers additional programs, including:
- The Centre for Opportunity: A transition-to-adulthood program for young adults with developmental disabilities, focusing on life skills, vocational training, and community engagement.
- Care and Recreation Services: Before-and-after school care and respite services that provide enriching activities in a supportive environment.
- Quest Adventure Camps: Inclusive summer camps designed to provide fun, structured experiences that build confidence, social skills, and independence.
Q: How long has Calgary Quest Children’s Society been participating in the Charity Challenge with Servus Calgary Marathon?
This is our third year participating in the Marathon. We previously participated in 2022 and 2024.
Q: How much have you raised via the Charity Challenge?
2022: $7,000
2024: $15,667.39
Total Raised: $22,667.39
Q: How are funds used that are raised via the Charity Challenge?
Funds raised through the Charity Challenge directly support Calgary Quest Children’s Society’s mission to provide specialized education and therapeutic services for children, teens and young adults with developmental disabilities.
In previous years, these funds have been used to support general educational programming and our therapy programs, including speech-language pathology, music therapy, and behaviour support services, all of which are essential for helping our students develop communication, self-regulation, and life skills.
This year, we are focusing on expanding our family support services. We recognize that supporting a child with developmental disabilities goes beyond the classroom, and families need resources, guidance, and connection. These funds will help us grow initiatives that provide parent education, resource navigation, communication tools, and additional support networks for families, ensuring they have the tools and assistance they need to help their child thrive.
Q: How long have you been a member with Servus?
We opened our Servus accounts in June 2023.
Q: Servus strives for its members to gain financial fitness. As an extension, our partnership with the marathon encourages participants to achieve mental, physical, and financial fitness. How do you see Calgary Quest Children’s Society achieving those goals?
Calgary Quest Children’s Society is committed to fostering financial, physical, and mental fitness through our wraparound support model, which provides comprehensive care tailored to each student and young adult’s needs.
Movement and physical well-being are integrated into our daily programming, focusing on physical literacy and gross motor skill development. We teach and create opportunities for self-regulation, ensuring our students are better prepared to learn and engage with their peers and staff. Most recently, we introduced an adaptive physical education program, further enhancing our students’ ability to engage in physical activity in ways that meet their unique abilities. This program also includes training to support our teachers in learning how to provide adaptive physical literacy opportunities for their students.
Financial Fitness is embedded in our life-skills curriculum, where young adults with developmental disabilities are taught financial literacy in a way that aligns with their abilities, from learning basic money counting skills, to accessing financial services like bank machines, to budgeting for independent living. Within our school program students are also given the opportunity to start learning basic financial skills. Two great examples are our Bright and Perky Coffee Cart and our Oak Grind Coffee Cart, where elementary and high school students practice handling money, making transactions, and understanding financial concepts in a real-world setting, selling coffee to staff.
Mental Fitness is strengthened through our supportive learning environment, where we focus on building confidence, independence, and essential life skills. Our structured approach helps students and young adults develop resilience, self-regulation, and problem-solving skills, empowering them to navigate life’s challenges successfully beyond the classroom. Through our therapy supports, collaborative environment, and community-building activities we also help alleviate stress and isolation in parents.
By focusing on these areas, Calgary Quest Children’s Society ensures our students develop essential skills to lead more independent and fulfilling lives.
Q: How can people donate to Calgary Quest Children’s Society?
Visit Servus.ca to find out more about Servus and how they can help you achieve your financial fitness, one step at a time.
