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.
