Posted on 6/22/126 by Colin Vassallo
Dr. Martha Hart, the widow of the late Owen Hart, was named
Calgarian of the Year by the City of Calgary.
In a proclamation, the city attributed her award for
dedicating her life to promote education, housing stability,
food security, and more while leading the Owen Hart
Foundation.
The full statement from the City of Calgary can be read
below.
Dr. Martha Hart, PhD is a Cambridge University-trained
researcher, philanthropist, and advocate who has dedicated
her life to promoting education, housing stability, and food
security, to name a few. Following the tragic 1999 death of
her husband, wrestler Owen Hart, Dr. Hart transformed her
grief into a force for good, establishing the Owen Hart
Foundation (OHF) in his memory.
To date, the OHF has raised millions of dollars (thanks to
the efforts of Dr. Hart and her dedicated OHF committee)
that support the OHF’s two signature programs: the Owen Hart
Home Ownership Program and the Owen Hart Scholarship Fund.
These programs enrich the lives of Calgarians by assisting
low-income individuals to purchase homes while removing
financial barriers to education for Calgary’s youth.
The annual OHF Backpack Giveaways in partnership with
TRAPPED Escape Room, have distributed thousands of backpacks
filled with school supplies to children in underserved areas
across Southern Alberta, as well as partnering with the
Calgary Police Youth Foundation to jointly adopt multiple
schools and provide stuffed backpacks and additional
supplies to all students. The OHF also supports the Calgary
Food Bank in partnership with Tower Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
through their OHF Easter ‘Fill The Jeep’ Food Drive and the
Sylvan Lake Food Bank via their OHF May Long Weekend Food
Drive. The OHF Mother’s Day Project aids and acknowledges
the efforts of single mothers by providing Mother’s Day
gifts and gifts to their children in partnership with
several community agencies (Highbanks Society and Radiance
Society) who assist single mothers. Additionally, the OHF
Christmas Project collaborates with After Eight Interiors to
provide full Christmas packages to families in need and also
supports our Canadian Veterans through the Canadian Legacy
Project and the Homes For Heroes Foundation by providing
Christmas Hampers.
In partnership with the For the Love of Children Society,
Dr. Hart and the OHF have supported communities in need
across the globe, including Ukraine, Kenya, Tanzania,
Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, Uganda, Peru, the Philippines,
Turkey, and Australia. The OHF is also a strong advocate of
animal and environmental conservation, planting thousands of
trees locally and beyond, while also supporting numerous
animal shelters, and the Wilder Institute Calgary Zoo. Not
to mention supporting other worthwhile causes such as
Amnesty International, the Brown Bagging Society, several
homeless shelters… the list goes on. The OHF also has a
special fund set up at the Alberta Children’s Hospital that
provides basic needs (e.g., food, parking, hotel expenses)
for families in need traveling to the hospital with their
sick children. Dr. Hart’s dedication to providing aid
whether through housing, education, school supplies, health
initiatives, lunch programs, disaster relief, human rights,
animal and environmental conservation, reflects her deep
commitment to making the world a kinder, more hopeful place
for all living things.
As a Cambridge University-trained researcher in parent/child
attachment, Dr. Hart is the co-creator of the Attachment and
Child Health (ATTACHTM) programs. She has touched thousands
of lives through her research and the OHF’s benevolent
initiatives, making her an inspiring role model and a
champion for positive change.