Weyburn’s Communithon Committee reached their fundraising goal in 2019, and were able to allocate much-needed funds to the 11 community agencies. (The photo above shows the closing moments of the 2019 Communithon just before they went off the air.)
The committee met on Tuesday evening at the Credit Union’s Community Room, and went over some of the points from last year’s campaign before beginning to make plans for the 2020 event.
The goal for the 2019 Communithon was to raise $82,019, and the committee raised a total of $100,790, with a total of $78,000 allocated to the community agencies.
“We were able to meet our campaign goal, even though we didn’t make it on air,” said secretary-treasurer Brenda Clarke.
She noted the allocations were decided on and the cheques were sent out just before Christmas.
The Communithon supports 11 community agencies, which include Big Brothers Big Sisters Weyburn, Canadian Mental Health Association, Canadian Red Cross, Community Low Income Centre, CNIB Foundation, Envision Counselling and Support Centre, Inclusion Weyburn, Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan, Weyburn Care-a-Van, Weyburn Special Care Home Auxiliary and the Weyburn Youth Center.
The committee set the date for the 2020 Communithon for Friday, Oct. 23, subject to confirmation at the Weyburn Legion Hall. The goal for the 2020 campaign will be $82,020.
Communithon chair Wanda Miller said the committee is hoping to see new volunteers come out to help with the planning and putting on of the annual fundraiser.
“We want to put the invitation out to the community again to come out and volunteer. All volunteers are welcome to attend the meetings and join in,” said Miller.
The chair also had high praise for the venue, as the Communithon returned to its roots and was held downtown at the Legion Hall. There are still some issues to work out in regard to the facility, but the response from the public was very positive.
“People came up to us and said they enjoyed it. The community loved it, and there were people in the seats right up to the end. I can’t say that about when we were at the school,” said Miller, referring to the previous venue at the Cugnet Centre.
The committee reviewed their terms of reference document, noting that the Communithon Committee raises funds for the community agencies, which benefit the residents of Weyburn and the surrounding area.
The community agencies are required to have at least one volunteer who will assist in the planning and putting on of Communithon, and the committee’s allocations committee volunteers are non-members of the community agencies, so the dividing up of the money is done fairly.
The committee members who were present volunteered for the various subcommittees, with only the committee for the community ambassadors unfilled at this point. The ambassadors are youth who make public appearances representing and promoting Communithon. Last year’s ambassadors were Grade 12 students Jessica Dixon, Kelsi Shipley, Arianna Russell and Trisha Mariveles.
The Communithon committee meeting dates for the next three months were decided on, all on Tuesdays: Feb. 25, March 24 and April 21. These meetings will be held at the Weyburn Credit Union Community Room at 5:30 p.m.
Any resident interested in learning more or in taking part as a volunteer is encouraged to attend any of these upcoming meetings as planning begins for the 2020 campaign.
