GRAVELBOURG – The votes have been counted, and Navette Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle is $20,000 richer. WinField United Canada announced the grand prize winner of their Raise the Barn campaign, which donates financially to community projects.
“At one point, I think it [the website] even crashed because so many people were voting,” said Lynn Holmes, director of the shuttle service. “It was that grassroots initiative that just went like wildfire and brought communities together.”
Of the 46 total projects involved with the Raise the Barn contest, Gravelbourg Cares found themselves in the envious position of being regional finalists alongside a community garden initiative in Foremost, Alta., and an Indigenous meeting space from Miami, Man. All three finalists received $8,000 with the grand prize winner gaining an additional $20,000. The final round was based on voting through the WinField Canada website with results as of Dec. 12 noting Gravelbourg Cares in the lead with 51.69 per cent of votes.
Holmes noted the support from locals and communities further afield was astounding as entities in Moose Jaw and Regina came onboard to spread the word about voting.
“It started here, took root here, but it just went everywhere,” she said. In addition to local residents, the shuttle service serves 14 surrounding communities with several of those out of town riders meeting the shuttle at HB Junction to continue on.
“In these communities we live in, we don’t have the availability of public transportation, and we’ve worked around that,” Holmes said. “Our riders and volunteers have really believed in us.”
The service is available to anyone regardless of age seeking transport to specialist appointments in larger centres. While there is a suggested donation for using the service, the group’s primary goal is to provide an affordable method of getting riders to their appointments.
For more information on Gravelbourg Cares, call 306-650-7333 or email gravelbourgshuttle@gmail.com.
