Not Your Ordinary Transportation Service – SheDrives with Purpose
Photo: SheDrives with Purpose
Regan Gamble, the Owner of SheDrives Ltd. in Edmonton, is excited to be one of 120 Indigenous entrepreneurs selected as a semi-finalist for the 2026 Pow Wow Pitch competition.
“I’m so honoured,” said Gamble.
The concept for her transportation business was driven from a desire to assist other women in need, whether fleeing from domestic violence to helping those who struggling without a vehicle needing a safe ride.
“I think of our Elders, they don’t have transportation to go to a lot of places they want or need to, whether it’s just for medical appointments, or to pick up their prescriptions,” said Gamble.
SheDrives is more than just a transportation service.
“The moment a woman gets into the vehicle, there’s this sense of security … safety, comfort,” said Gamble. “We start off with a handshake, a hug. There’s just a cultural safety.”
Her service has helped so many women, and Gamble recalls instances where she used her own experiences to comfort others and to let them know they were going to be ok.
Gamble belongs to the Beardy & Okemasis First Nation in Saskatchewan. Her spirit name is “Shining Star Winged Woman.”
Both a Sixties scoop survivor and an Indian residential school survivor, Gamble spent nine years in Duck Lake then began a relationship when she was 15 years old when she had her son.
Due to all the trauma she had endured, addiction took over her life for many years.
“We get older and when we work on ourselves, when you put the work in, you just want to be a better person and do better in your life,” said Gamble. “You’re so hungry for it.”
She just celebrated three years of sobriety.
After watching Pow Wow Pitch with her boyfriend, he suggested she should apply for the competition.
“I was watching and it was at a pow wow and they were doing their live pitch,” said Gamble. “I’m like, I can do that and went online and waited until they were having their next Pow Wow Pitch competition.”
Gamble prepared for her 1-minute pitch by practising over 200 takes to perfect her pitch.
“It was built on so much love and care,” said Gamble. “Everything was done so proper, I did ceremony, I brought protocol.”
Although the process has been nerve-wracking, she said, “I’m just really so blessed and honoured to have gotten this far.”
If she wins the competition, her plans are to build a sustainable model for SheDrives.
“I want to expand,” said Gamble.
The next steps would be to get another vehicle and get the safety permits and licensing in different municipalities.
For more information about SheDrives LTD. visit:www.facebook.com/SheDrives
STORY BY Danielle Dufour VIA
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please: Share your reaction, your thoughts, and your opinions. Be passionate, be unapologetic. Offensive remarks will not be published. We are getting more and more spam. Comments will be monitored.
Use the comment form at the bottom of this website which is private and sent direct to Trace.