From Smiles to Safety:
Building Safer Futures One Smile Cookie at a Time
Celebrating Our Second Year as the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign Recipient in Edmonton
We are honoured to share that the Edmonton Police Foundation has once again been selected as the 2026 Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign recipient. This marks our second consecutive year partnering with Tim Hortons to strengthen youth safety across Edmonton. Last year, our community raised an incredible $393,234, directly supporting programs that keep young people connected, supported, and on a positive path.
From April 27 – May 3, every Smile Cookie purchased in Edmonton will help expand critical initiatives that prevent crime before it starts, reduce youth victimization, and build safer, more resilient communities.
Your Impact: How Smile Cookies Prevent Crime and Strengthen Community Safety
The programs below share a common goal: interrupting the pathways that lead young people toward crime, exploitation, and long-term justice-system involvement. With your support, we meet youth early, surround them with protective factors, and help them build safer, healthier futures.
DiversionFirst: Keeping Youth Out of the Justice System
DiversionFirst gives young people who have committed first-time, non-violent offenses a chance to repair harm, rebuild trust, and avoid entering the criminal justice system.
Smile Cookie funding ensures youth have access to restorative activities, personal development tools, and mentorship — the very supports proven to reduce reoffending. By providing essentials like journals, program materials, and safe spaces for learning, we help youth reflect on their choices, take accountability, and build the skills needed to stay on a positive path.
This program prevents early mistakes from becoming lifelong barriers and keeps young people connected to school, family, and community instead of courtrooms.
Y:Five0: Reducing High-Risk Behaviours and Reoffending
Y:Five0 works intensively with Edmonton’s 50 highest-risk youth offenders — young people who are most vulnerable to cycles of crime, victimization, and gang involvement.
Smile Cookie support provides access to mentorship, cultural programming, camps, and prosocial activities that build identity, belonging, and hope. These experiences help youth replace high-risk behaviours with healthier, safer alternatives. By strengthening protective factors and rebuilding trust with adults, Y:Five0 reduces reoffending and helps youth reintegrate into community life.
This is crime prevention at its most impactful: reaching the young people who need support the most, before harm escalates.
Oskayak Police Academy: Strengthening Safety Through Cultural Connection
The Oskayak Police Academy brings Indigenous youth and EPS members together for two weeks of cultural learning, police training experiences, and relationship-building.
Smile Cookie funding helps expand programming, support Elders and cultural facilitators, and ensure more youth can participate. By creating space for dialogue, understanding, and shared experience, the academy breaks down stereotypes, builds trust, and strengthens safety for Indigenous youth who often face disproportionate risks of victimization and justice-system involvement.
This program helps young people feel seen, valued, and connected — key factors in preventing crime and promoting long-term wellbeing.
Operation: Ready, Set, School — Preventing Vulnerability Through Education
This West Edmonton Mall scavenger hunt equips at-risk youth with school supplies while strengthening their relationships with the Edmonton Police Service.
Smile Cookie support ensures more youth receive the tools, confidence, and encouragement they need to start the school year strong. When young people feel prepared and supported at school, they are less likely to disengage — and disengagement is one of the strongest predictors of future justice-system involvement.
By helping youth stay connected to education, we reduce vulnerability and increase long-term safety.
Operation Find Santa: Building Trust with Indigenous Families
Operation Find Santa is a theatrical holiday adventure that brings Indigenous families and EPS members together for a day of fun, teamwork, and cultural connection.
Smile Cookie funding helps expand the event and support family participation, creating opportunities for positive interactions that strengthen trust and reduce fear or hesitation in seeking help. When families feel safe engaging with police, communities become safer overall — especially for children who may otherwise be at risk of victimization.
Youth Recruit Academy: Inspiring Future Leaders and Safer Communities
The Youth Recruit Academy gives high school students a hands-on look at policing while building positive relationships with officers.
Smile Cookie support enhances training experiences, provides equipment, and increases accessibility for youth across Edmonton. By helping young people understand policing and see officers as partners, the academy reduces mistrust, encourages civic engagement, and strengthens community safety.
Youth leave the program with leadership skills, confidence, and a deeper commitment to contributing positively to their communities.
