Making Lives Better: Belinda Bigold

We asked several members of the Deer Lodge Centre Foundation Board of Directors why they support Deer Lodge Centre. These are their answers.

“It is the people…”

Belinda Bigold
High Tea Bakery

My connection to Deer Lodge Centre is one built almost entirely of community. It was a part of my life before I really knew anything about it. I grew up on Linwood Street, and several of our closest friends worked in the centre. As kids, our schools would send us out to visit residents, attend Remembrance Day services, and sing at holiday celebrations. We never really thought about it—it was just a part of our lives. When my mother and I started High Tea Bakery, we made it a tradition to bake extra cookies every Christmas Eve and our wonderful neighbour, Shirley, would hand-deliver them to residents, wishing them a Merry Christmas. As our business grew, we decided that Deer Lodge would always be a part of our giving. I joined the board to make that commitment formal.  These days the centre also helps my family through its stroke recovery programs, and we have a very strong respect in our family for veterans. It is the people who live and work at Deer Lodge that keep me coming back.