Some parents bond with their teenagers over a sports game or the occasional outing. That鈥檚 not the case for Edmonton鈥檚 Greg and Hali Scott. The father and daughter go far beyond that.
For the past four years the duo have planned annual trips to various locations, spending their time 鈥減laying for change,鈥� busking and raising money for different local charities.
鈥淲e started this as a way to have an annual fun dad and daughter adventure,鈥� Greg said. 鈥淭he first time we did it we received a lot of support and we had a lot of fun. We realized we were doing something small that had an impact on a larger scale.鈥�
This year, the Scotts ended up in Jasper from Dec. 9-11, breaking out their Celtic tunes at several locations throughout town, including CIBC, the Sawridge Inn, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Marmot Basin.
鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely amateur musicians, but we have a lot of fun, and people are always nice and supportive,鈥� Greg said.
By the end of their Jasper weekend, Greg and Hali had raised $521, which was donated to the Alberta Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (AARDA).
鈥淲e were really excited to partner with them because they鈥檙e a really great group that is underfunded, and it mixes our passion of skiing and dogs,鈥� Greg said.
The two started their musical good-willed adventures when Hali was just 11 years old. Since then they have visited Portland to raise funds for the Oregon Humane Society, and went to Winnipeg to raise funds for the Manitoba Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation. The following year brought them to San Diego, where they played at Earth Fair and helped raise funds for the San Diego Farm Bureau and its work with Southern California drought issues.
鈥淓ach year the location is always a surprise for me and I kind of have to figure out before we get there,鈥� said 15-year-old Hali. 鈥淚 love mysteries so my dad always sets up clues鈥攍ike a scavenger hunt鈥� at every spot we visit, so I get to explore a bit of the place that we鈥檙e visiting.鈥�
This year, Greg left clues for Hali all over Jasper, sending her to JPL, Coco鈥檚 Cafe, the Bear鈥檚 Paw Bakery and eventually to Marmot Basin, where her and her father presented Matt Knop, AARDA鈥檚 Jasper dog handler, with their busking profits.
As for next year, Greg said the location and cause remains unknown.
鈥淚t depends on the year and where we feel like going,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his year we chose Jasper because we wanted to go somewhere in the mountains, and after that, the AARDA just stood out and hit a chord with both of us.鈥�
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
