EMO — When Coeur Mining took over the New Gold Mine in Rainy River, it was left with thousands of coveralls bearing the old logo — and the Emo Seniors’ Centre stepped up to the task of rebranding.
The mine reached out seeking an efficient way to rebrand the clothing, with hopes of having the garments completed near the end of April, according to Cindy Judson, the chair of the seniors’ centre.
The Patch Project consists of about 30 regular volunteers who have already handled over 2,500 pieces of clothing since they began on March 9, with their last sewing session scheduled for this week.
“Part of the rebranding under the acquisition was to replace all of the logos on our PPE, our coveralls and our work jackets from New Gold to Coeur,” said Gord Simms, general manager of the mine.
Simms said that their community team found the opportunity.
“Normally, such a task would be so mundane to do on an individual basis, but when you bring this group together, it is a lot of fun,” Judson said.
Some volunteers pluck the stitches of the old logo, some sew on the new Coeur Mining patch, and others fold, repackage and organize the garments.
“It’s just a good example of how that community engagement and partnership can work hand-in-hand, and it’s an opportunity for us to provide a donation back to the sewing group and contribute to their club,” said Simms.
The seniors’ centre only started up in the past year after hiring a coordinator last October, said Judson. It already has 150 members.
Coeur Mining’s donation to the centre will be received towards the completion of The Patch Project, but they were unable to speak definitively about what it will be used for.
According to Simms, the mine is an active participant in events throughout the year in both Emo and with the Indigenous communities in the area. He called the quality of the seniors’ centre’s work “amazing” and said the feedback from employees has been positive as well.
“It’s made a meaningful impact as part of our transition to Coeur Mining, which is an exciting change for the business,” Simms said.
“I celebrate that we’re able to help out the mine in a productive way that can help them get acquainted with the community as a new company,” said Judson.
