June 21, 2024, marks a day that nine-year-old Rhett and eight-year-old Eli won’t soon forget. Decked out in head-to-toe personal protective equipment and perched on a lift, the two boys stood above more than 100 site staff at the Arrow Utilities Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) Train 4 expansion project in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. The crowd cheered the pair on, celebrating the “Little Builders, Big Dreams” event hosted in collaboration with PCL Construction, ARROW Utilities and Associated Engineering.  

The unique experience for two young guests to visit a real construction site was auctioned off to raise funds for the Kids with Cancer Society, which offers support programs and services for children living with cancer and their families. The experience captured a $42,000 CAD ($30,500 USD) donation and was gifted to Rhett and Eli, both cancer survivors before reaching their 10^th birthday. 

Rhett was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2021. The multiple brain surgeries and 70 weeks of chemotherapy that followed did not dim his spark, however. His charismatic and joyful personality quickly won over everyone on the construction site. Eli was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in 2020, his tumor located behind his right eye. In February 2021, after 10 months of chemo and radiation, Eli rang the bell at the Stollery Children’s Hospital to mark the end of treatment. 

The Kids with Cancer Society was there to support Rhett and Eli as they went through their journeys, which is part of why that day in June meant so much to everyone involved.  

At the ARROW Utilities WWTP, PCL is expanding the existing wastewater treatment plant with a fourth treatment train incorporating advanced membrane bioreactor technology to meet forecasted demand through 2040. The plant will also provide reclaimed water for industrial reuse in Alberta's Industrial Heartland.  

This project is part of ARROW Utilities' efforts to provide wastewater transmission and treatment services to over 400,000 residents, businesses and critical industries across 13 municipalities. 

The day started with a tour of the ARROW Utilities on-site laboratory, followed by a food truck lunch and virtual reality tour of the project. The kids learned how to safely operate heavy equipment through fun games. The day capped off with two special deliveries brought in by the tower crane on site, with the kids getting the opportunity to direct the crane operator to the drop zone.  

“My favorite part was handing out ice cream from the ice cream truck,” Rhett excitedly explains. “Food is my life.” The nine-year-old is a budding YouTuber, hosting cooking segments on his channel @chef-rhett. His crane delivery included a kit full of influencer essentials like a microphone, tripod, ring light and more. Meanwhile, Eli shared he was excited to go home and take his special delivery, a brand-new bike, for a test drive. 

“The melon drop and virtual reality were my favorite parts,” Eli says. There was no mistaking the glimmer of joy in his eyes as he took control of the remote control rotating telehandler, watching watermelons explode as they dropped from 30 feet in the air.  

The experiences are intended to give something special back to kids who miss out on school field trips and other fun events due to illness or treatment. “Today will become a core memory for them. They’ll be able to look back and remember how incredible it was to experience a day like this," says Madison McElligott, Kids with Cancer Society events manager. 

Cody Erhardt, PCL superintendent at the project and facilitator for the day of fun, says he jumped at the chance to put such a special day together for two deserving recipients.  

“We are fortunate to partner with the community in many ways through our projects. Events like these help us give back to those communities,” Erhardt says. “I think construction is such a dynamic and interesting field. Not only did we get to show that off, but the event also brought the team together in a big way. There is no better feeling.”  

Alberta isn’t the only place where PCL is supporting children. Seventeen hundred miles south in Phoenix, Arizona, PCL employees are involved in the annual Big Dig for Kids event. PCL has been sponsoring and volunteering with the event since 2016, and in that time the event has raised nearly $2.8 million for pediatric cancer research through the Phoenix Children’s Foundation. The event gives young patients the opportunity to explore, interact with and operate heavy machinery.  

PCL’s partnership with Big Dig for Kids was started through the passion of Mike McKinney, former senior vice president of PCL’s Civil Infrastructure Division.  

“It has been incredibly rewarding to be involved in the Big Dig for Kids and witness the difference this event alone continues to have on so many children and their families,” says McKinney, who in his retirement remains an active member of the event’s operations committee.  

PCL manager, special projects Raymond Torrejon will be leading PCL’s partnership next year. “It’s heartwarming to see these kids who face everyday health battles light up as they put on hard hats and vests and interact with the equipment,” Torrejon says.

Across the globe in New South Wales, Australia, the team at the Stubbo Solar project is rallying together to ensure children have access to medical care. PCL employees have begun an ongoing bottle drive at the Stubbo project site to raise funds for Wings4Kidz, an organization that provides free air and ground transport for children in regional communities who need to travel for medical appointments. PCL also plans to sponsor one of its own in The Late Mail Postie Bike Ride. PCL Solar superintendent Robert Meyers will take to the road as part of the week-long tour raising funds and awareness for the not-for-profit.  

“Wings4Kidz takes away the worry for children and their families. If we can all make someone’s life easier, why not?” says Meyers.  

Plans to support Meyers with a by-donation barbecue and sponsorship package offering are already underway. Whether PCL is constructing unforgettable experiences or supporting research and access to care for sick kids, it’s a universal cause that hits home for many.  

“As a father, I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to navigate through what these kids have to take on in their young lives,” Erhardt says. “Giving kids hope and something to be excited about is the very least we can do.”