I’ve always known that Weyburn and area is a very caring and generous community, as has been proven over and over again with the many non-profit and charitable events and organizations that successfully run each year.
That being said, this past weekend was like a “tour de force” for the Opportunity City, as there were several events held from Friday to Sunday, and almost every single one was a fundraiser for somebody or for some charity or cause.
The range of talent was astounding, not to mention the sheer amount of energy and hours of organizing and setting up involved in each and every event, and seeing all of the events unfold as I went from one venue to another through the weekend was mind-boggling when one considers what went into each fundraiser.
On Friday evening, two sold-out suppers were held simultaneously mere blocks from each other, at the McKenna Hall and the Legion Hall, each for completely different causes. The one was a supper to raise money for research into cystic fibrosis, and featured the talents of Tenille Arts, fresh from Nashville, and Weyburn’s own Private Drive, along with a live and silent auction. The evening raised about $31,000 for “Team Teresa”, as the Weger family took part in another fundraiser on Sunday, the annual CF walk held in Regina, where they presented a total of $51,000.
At the Legion, the Roemer family held a lasagna supper to raise funds for training a service dog for Nathan Roemer, with his big sister Michelle almost single-handedly coming up with the idea and organizing it, with many friends and family then helping on the night of the event to set it up and sell 50-50 tickets and so on.
On Saturday, a team of girls from the Comp, who call themselves the “Tumornators”, did a car wash and hot dog sale at Barber Motors as they will be in the Relay for Life this weekend at the Comp track field, and that evening the Sunrise day care held an art gala and fundraising auction. Singer Lexie Tytlandsvik, or Lexie T as she is known professionally, was on hand to sing, and Winston Bailey did the live auction of art pieces, as he did also at the CF event on Friday.
On Sunday, the Synchro Stars held the Colour Splash fun run, and the MS Walk was also held from the Comp Eagle gym.
The army of volunteers for each of these events was impressive, ranging from little girls spraying runners at the Colour Splash to parents and community volunteers helping out wherever they could at each event. Then there were all the residents who supported each of these events with their attendance, and with their wallets, as people bought supper tickets, and bid on auction items on things ranging from children’s art and sports jerseys to specialized muffins and a trip to Whistler, B.C., not to mention pledges for events like the MS Walk and the Colour Splash run.
The end result is, there are causes and services that will benefit people who need them, like Nathan and his service dog being trained, research into cancer and cystic fibrosis and multiple sclerosis, and a suitable place for the young children at the Sunrise day care to play in outside. As they say, “It’s all good.”
