Jeromy Farkas to raise $25K for Calgary non-profit

Former Calgary city councillor Jeromy Farkas will climb 25 mountain peaks to raise money for the Alex Community Health Centre.

It’s another ambitious charitable endeavour following his long tenure in politics.

Farkas previously ran more than 4,000 kilometres on the Pacific Crest Trail last summer to benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters Calgary.

“After going from Mexico to Canada — I thought to myself, ‘How do I follow up something like that?'” Farkas said.

After some thought, he came to a decision.

“We landed at 25 peaks, in 25 days, raising $25,000 for the Alex Community Health Centre.”

The Alex is a non-profit hub for health, social, and housing supports for vulnerable Calgarians, it’s a charity that Farkas says is close to his heart.

“Growing up in East Calgary, I was a direct beneficiary of their programming, and I’m just so grateful for the work they do,” he explained.

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Previously known as a councillor with predominately conservative views, he served a term in Calgary’s Ward 11 and raised over $800,000 during his campaign when he ran for mayor, but it’s now part of a past he says he no longer identifies with.

“When I came back to Calgary [from Mexico], I had so many offers to run in municipal and federal politics, but I knew it was the last thing I wanted to do,” Farkas said.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with my friend Naheed Nenshi — which surprises a lot of people.”

Farkas and former Calgary mayor Nenshi were ideological opposites, and often at odds about various topics during city council meetings.

“He likes to joke [that] through all these council meetings he always told me to take a hike, but he never once meant it literally. I’m still not a very good listener,” Farkas said.

He adds donations are already flooding in for his new fundraising goal, and while he doesn’t have a day job right now, or ambition to run again in politics, he says he’s grateful to follow his passion for outdoor adventures while giving back.

“I’m so much more excited to get up and climb these mountains peaks than I ever was to go into a city council meeting,” Farkas said.