The Weyburn and District United Way will host this year’s Communithon at a new venue. The 33-hour fundraiser will be held at the Cugnet Centre on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25. The goal is to raise $140,000 for the 11 member agencies.
“Communithon is coming together very well. The volunteers have all pulled together and everyone is helping out for the event,” said Karen Kennedy-Allin, Communithon chair.
“It is a very tight schedule, and there is many jobs to do. It is a lot of hard work, but when there is so many volunteers coming together, it makes it all worth it,” said Kennedy-Allin.
She was very excited about the new venue, as this is the first year that Communithon will be held at the Cugnet Centre. “There will be more room for spectators, and it is going to be so comfortable. Parents can come watch their children … people can come watch the entertainment in comfort and in style. The audio will make it sound so good in here.”
The event starts at 8 a.m. on Friday and ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Most of Friday will be highlighted with entertainment from school-aged children, choirs and bands. Individuals, groups and organizations then hit the stage for Friday evening and throughout Saturday.
Communithon is also aired lived on Access 7, and streamed online from www.weyburnunitedway.com. Throughout the 33 hours, local entertainment will take to the stage to raise funds for the United Way. A tentative entertainment schedule is available in today’s Weyburn Review.
Four Weyburn youth were chosen as Communithon Superheroes, and have been busy visiting local businesses and schools to promote the Communithon.
“Everyone that works for Communithon is a superhero,” said Kennedy-Allin.
“But having our four official superheroes has been great. These four youth really demonstrate the enthusiasm, and went to so many different events to promote Communithon at local schools and businesses.”
The four Communithon Superheroes are Natalie Martin, Brooklyn Arts, Haley Anderson and Logan Mainil. In the superhero theme, each one has their own costumes that they will be wearing during Communithon.
Natalie Martin said that Communithon is important because it brings the community of Weyburn together. “When the community comes together, we do amazing things. I know this year’s Communithon will not be any different.
During Communithon, people from all walks of life come together to support a common goal which is providing funds for the 11 member agencies of the United Way.”
“I am excited about the fact that this year the Communithon is held at the Cugnet Centre,” said Martin. “The Cugnet Centre will allow for members of the community to come out as well as make donations. I am also excited about the new technologies that we can use during Communithon that are located in the Cugnet Centre. It will be fun to see all the new stage and lighting capabilities, that will add to our Communithon experience in the Cugnet Centre.”
“Without the Communithon, and the support of the community, many of the 11 member agencies would not be able to help those who need it,” said Brooklyn Arts. “All the money raised is going to great causes.”
“With the new Cugnet Centre venture, I am excited to hear how good the acoustics are, and enjoy the slanted seating and elaborate stage,” said Arts.
“Another importance of Communithon is that it raises awareness of these organizations in the local community, while also raising funds for them,” said Haley Anderson. “This event allows the community to come together with entertainment, to raise money to help the less fortunate in our community.”
There are many different ways that local residents can be a Communithon Superhero. “I have acted as a Communithon Superhero by attending many events put on by the groups in our community to support the Communithon,” said Martin.
“I have advocated for Communithon, in person as well as through social media and by doing my best to lend a helping hand whenever possible.”
“I have acted as a Communithon Superhero by helping spread awareness to businesses, family and friends about Communithon,” said Arts. “I have participated in our school fundraiser and others throughout the community.”
There are many local performers who will take to the stage during the Communithon. In the past few years, Kennedy-Allin has helped with staging, and has seen the excited faces of performers before they take to the stage to perform.
“I think they all will be very excited to perform on the new Credit Union stage, and they will probably be a little awestruck and look around to see how big the facility actually is.”
“At this year’s Communithon, I am looking forward to interacting with community members and anyone else who comes out to support the event,” said Martin. “I am also excited to listen to all the groups that come out to provide entertainment during the two-day event.”
“I would like to remind everyone that many of the local schools will be performing,” said Martin. “One group to watch for is definitely the WCS STARS choir, which all four of the Superheroes are involved in.”
“During the event I look forward to watching and performing in the performances. I am also anxious to see if we can meet our goal this year,” said Arts.
“Personally, I am looking forward to watching my sister Tenille Arts perform, and I am excited to sing one song with her during her sets. I am also excited to see all the schools perform.”
Haley Anderson is quite excited for a few different performances from the Comp School. “Our theatre group will stage a Halloween play again, so that will be fun. Also, the STARS choir is getting ready for their performances.”
The Young Fellows Kitchen at the Comp will be open until 5 p.m. on Friday, and local residents will be able to purchase food and snacks. Residents are reminded that no food or drink are allowed in the Cugnet Centre itself, but they will be able to utilize Colleen Weimer Hall.
For those who are looking for other lunch and supper options on Friday, they can attend the Knights of Columbus annual perogy, sausage and cabbage roll dinner at McKenna Hall on Friday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children. This supper is supported by the Prairie Sky Co-op.
During the Friday events, there will be a silent auction displayed at McKenna Hall, and a raffle at both locations. Many of the silent auction items were collected from local businesses through the Communithon Cart, which traveled around the city during the month of October.
A Communithon pancake breakfast will be hosted on Saturday, Oct. 25, by the Prairie Sky Co-op, the Weyburn Credit Union and Access Communications. The breakfast will be held 7 to 10 a.m. at the Credit Union Community Room. Cost is $5 per plate, and includes pancakes, sausage, and juice or coffee. Funds from the perogy supper and pancake breakfast will be donated to Communithon.
Last weekend, the Estevan United Way held their 38th annual televised fundraising, and were the first United Way in Canada to surpass their goal.
Their goal was $340,000; and they raised $347,665 for their member agencies.
Kennedy-Allin said it was very important for the Weyburn and District United Way to make their $140,000 goal.
“The best thing about Communithon is that it is the one fundraiser that we do for our 11 member agencies; so it is a lot of work and intense for a short period of time but having one fundraiser really ensures that we are not knocking on people’s doors a bunch of times throughout the year.”
“When we meet our goal, we can give the money to our member agencies based on their requests,” said Kennedy-Allin. “Those funds help the programming for Weyburn and area citizens and their clients. It also frees up the time of the member agencies, since they don’t have to do the fundraising.”
This year’s member agencies for the Weyburn and District United Way include: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Weyburn; Canada Mental Health Association; Canadian National Institute for the Blind; Canadian Paraplegic Association; Canadian Red Cross; Color My World Child Care; Envision Counselling and Support Centre; Saskatchewan Abilities Council; Southeast Advocates for Employment (WASES); Weyburn Care-A-Van Society and the Weyburn Special Care Home Auxiliary.
