ABOUT THE LOVE FOR LEWISTON FOUNDATION

The Love for Lewiston Foundation was born of a position the Olstads embraced to spend their son Lewiston’s first birthday
With seven weeks to the day, they rallied their close friends, organized and hosted their first official Lewiston event on May 25, 2017 – it raised just over $42,000 in one night. To make everything legit as an Alberta-registered society, the paperwork was prepared during the planning phases but not expected to be completed for months. Jessica received a call the morning of the party, on Lewiston’s first birthday, declaring that the paperwork had been processed, approved and certified, making the Love for Lewiston Foundation an official society. This was all thanks to an amazing accounting team at Pinnacle Accounting and Finance to help push through the paperwork and ensure every “t” was crossed and every “i” was dotted. The Foundation is currently working to achieve its registered charitable status with the Canada Revenue Agency. We currently are unable to offer tax-deductible receipts for your donations, but please ask us about other ways we can assist you in this area.
The Love for Lewiston Foundation exists to create awareness, bring joyful experiences spreading love and directing money to local families, and ultimately raising funds focused on treatments and finding a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy through SMA Research and The Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Our Board of Directors

Jessica Janzen Olstad | Executive Director
Jessica is a farm girl, now

Jason Cirankewitch | Board Member
Jason is born and raised in Calgary and lives with his lovely wife Kelsey who is

Justine Moreau | Board Member
Justine is

Ronnie Olstad | Board Member
Ronnie is a born and raised Calgarian and proud to have spent his entire life in this great city. He is a small business owner and partner in a Franchise company 98 Food Co, a local Calgary business, which franchises over several provinces and provides locals with great food and drink. Brands under the banner include Chachis’s Sandwiches, Hula Poke, Dirtbelly and Deville Coffee. Ronnie is most famously known for being Swayzie, Lewiston and Hollis’ loving father, and husband to Jessica. As the backbone of the foundation he is a strong supporter of his wife’s crazy ideas, working quietly in the background to ensure their success. He has a love for the Miami Dolphins, San Jose Sharks and Oakland A’s. Family time is the most important thing to him and he enjoys quiet weekends at home bbqing and making the yard beautiful. Ronnie is Lewiston’s number one fan and leading the charge with newborn screening in Alberta. As a lover of sports and physical activity, he initiated the LFL Golf Tournament, raising funds to honor his son, giving hope to those who need it, and bringing greater awareness to SMA, all of which is changing the landscape of SMA.

Shailynn Taylor | Board Member
Born and raised in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, Shailynn Taylor knew from a young age that despite living with type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy, she planned to spread her wings after high school. She dove into discovering what moving away from home was like while fighting a terminal disability and being dependant on others for her daily care needs. Shailynn moved to Vancouver BC in 2014 to create a life of her own at Simon Fraser University. When she realized BC wasn’t where she planned to be long term, she moved to Alberta where she has happily lived in Calgary for four years while attending Mount Royal University. At MRU Shailynn is presently in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program and she hopes to enter the field of Law or probation once she has completed her degree. Shailynn is so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time with the Olstads and Lewiston during his short time here and is honoured to be a part of continuing Lewiston’s legacy through the Love for Lewiston Foundation.