Personal Connections is a new blog series exploring the many different personal connections Momentum has with past participants. This series is led by Momentum's Executive Director Jeff Loomis.

You may know the idea of six degrees of separation—how all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. Around Momentum, it often feels more like two. Calgary is a “big small town” in many ways, and this feels extra true for me when I consider the relationships I’ve developed working at Momentum.

Last summer, I was walking from my house toward Nose Hill when I spotted someone in the distance who looked familiar. As we got closer, I realized it was Bulga — a Momentum graduate from many years ago!

I remember Bulga well. He’s one of the few people to take one of our programs in all three areas: trades, entrepreneurship, and savings. After moving to Calgary from Mongolia in 2010, he had a hard time finding meaningful work, even though he had solid professional experience back home. Bulga stood out to me — not just because he was the first person I’d met from Mongolia, but because of how fully he embraced everything Momentum had to offer. He completed our trades training program, took a small business course, and joined a matched savings program. After graduating, he started his trades apprenticeship and purchased his first home with the support from our Owen Hart Home Owners program.

I also remember how proud Bulga was to have a Canadian daughter. His youngest child was born in Calgary shortly after they moved from Mongolia. That summer evening, as the sun set over the mountains, I got to meet her — now 12 years old — and realized she’s almost the same age as my own daughter.

Walking together on Nose Hill, Bulga and I caught up about his time at Momentum. He shared how thankful he still is for those experiences. He let me know that he completed his apprenticeship at SAIT and, for the last 10 years, has worked as a self-employed commercial glazier contractor with over 100 completed projects. He sold his first home to buy another — right in my neighborhood!

Running into Bulga reminded me of our vision that everyone should have the opportunity to build a sustainable livelihood and contribute to their community. Today, Bulga is doing just that — supporting his family, running his own business, and giving back to our local economy. And the fact that he’s now my neighbor? That’s a beautiful reflection of how Momentum builds community. In Calgary, we are often more closely connected and have more in common than we think.

Read about other participants' journeys, or learn more about our programs here.