Building Bridges and Fostering Community: IRES at Vital City 2026

The Islamic Restoration Society (IRES) was pleased to join Calgary’s philanthropic and community leaders at the Calgary Foundation’s Vital City 2026, held on Tuesday, October 20 at the Champions Ballroom in the BMO Centre at Stampede Park. The event offered a meaningful opportunity to connect with organizations and individuals who share a common commitment to building a city where every person has the opportunity to belong, contribute, and thrive.

Vital City is more than an annual gathering; it is a space for Calgary’s charitable sector to pause, reflect, and look ahead. This year’s theme, “There Is Always a Silver Lining,” captured a message that resonates deeply with IRES’s mission: even in moments of hardship, displacement, separation, or setbacks, hope, resilience, and new beginnings remain possible.

A Gathering Rooted in Shared Purpose

For 70 years, Calgary Foundation has worked alongside donors, charities, and community partners to strengthen the city and support a vibrant, healthy community that values diversity and creates pathways to success for all people. Vital City 2026 celebrated that collective effort while inviting participants to consider what Calgary needs next.

The evening began with a reception, followed by a program featuring reflections from Calgary Foundation President and CEO Eva Friesen on the Foundation’s recent financial performance, grantmaking impact, and the findings of the 2026 Quality of Life Report. These discussions offered valuable insight into both the strengths of Calgary’s community and the challenges that require continued attention.

A particularly inspiring moment came from Tareq Hadhad, Founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate, whose journey from loss and displacement to entrepreneurship and belonging reminded attendees that difficult circumstances do not define a person’s future. His story reflected the same belief that guides IRES: with opportunity, support, and dignity, people can rebuild their lives and create meaningful futures.

Collaboration as a Foundation for Change

One of Vital City’s strongest messages was the importance of collaboration. Calgary’s most pressing social challenges—social isolation, barriers to reintegration, youth vulnerability, and cycles of harm—no single organization can solve alone.

Meaningful progress requires charities, funders, service providers, community leaders, families, and individuals with lived experience working together. It requires listening carefully to the people most affected by these challenges and designing solutions that reflect their realities, strengths, and aspirations.

For IRES, this aligns closely with our approach. We believe that lasting community safety is not achieved through punishment or isolation alone, but through prevention, connection, accountability, and practical pathways back into community life.

IRES: Restoring Broken Bonds

IRES exists to strengthen communities by preventing crime and supporting successful reintegration. Our work focuses on the moments when people are most at risk of being left behind: young people who need guidance and positive role models, families navigating hardship, and individuals returning from incarceration who need stability, support, and a genuine opportunity to begin again.

Through community-based programs, outreach, and partnerships, IRES works to restore broken bonds between individuals, families, and the wider community. We aim to create environments where people are met with compassion, held to high standards, and given the tools they need to move forward.

Attending Vital City reinforced the importance of this work. When organizations are trusted to lead from within their communities, solutions become more relevant, more humane, and more sustainable.

A Shared Vision for Calgary

Vital City 2026 was a reminder that Calgary’s greatest strength is not the absence of difficulty, but the depth of its generosity and the willingness of its people to show up for one another. The city’s future will be shaped by the partnerships we build, the voices we centre, and the opportunities we create for those who have too often been overlooked.

IRES is grateful to the Calgary Foundation for convening this important conversation and for its ongoing role as a grantmaker, convener, and community catalyst. We look forward to continuing to work with partners across Calgary to build a safer, more inclusive, and more compassionate city.

To learn more about the Calgary Foundation’s community initiatives, visit Calgary Foundation. To discover more about IRES’s community-building and reintegration programs, explore our profile on the Community Knowledge Centre.