The first official fundraiser for the 31st annual Communithon was announced during a kick-off on Thursday afternoon. Communithon is a 33-hour televised fundraiser for the 12 member agencies for the Weyburn and District United Way.
The first official fundraiser for the 31st annual Communithon was announced during a kick-off on Thursday afternoon. Communithon is a 33-hour televised fundraiser for the 12 member agencies for the Weyburn and District United Way.
The three car dealerships, Redcoat Chrysler, Great Plains Ford and Barber Motors, will compete in a coin drive at their locations throughout September and October.
All three coin bottles will be on display during the Communithon, held at the Comp Cafetorium during Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27. Visitors to the Communithon will be encouraged to vote for their favourite brand of car by dropping in their spare change.
The total goal for Communithon is $131,000 this year. "Weyburn is an awesome community that has helped the Communithon reach their goal for many years," said Marla St. Onge, president of the Weyburn and District United Way, and co-chair for the Communithon.
"Our hope is that residents of Weyburn come out and support us again this year. There will be great entertainment and preparations are well underway," added St. Onge. "We are looking for volunteers, entertainment and any special events that would promote the Communithon."
The Communithon starts at 8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 26 and will be aired live from the Comprehensive on Channel 7 for Access Communications until 5 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 27.
This year's Captain United is Decker Mainil and Lady Charity is Marissa McCallum. They are both looking forward to getting out into the community and promoting the Communithon.
"My favourite part is when the little kids perform, they are so cute and they don't even know how important this event is," said McCallum. "I am also looking forward to the community being together for the Communithon."
"I like to see how the community all gets involved to reach one goal and help everyone out," said Mainil. "There are a lot of special events that businesses and organizations can do for us."
The roles of Captain United and Lady Charity are especially important when it comes to creating relationships with the younger generation. "When you are little, you see Captain United and Lady Charity up there and you think it would be cool to be those guys and be in front of the community," said Mainil.
Marissa remembered looking up to Lady Charity as a princess when she was little. Her older brother Mitchell previously served as Captain United.
There are 12 member agencies for the Weyburn and District United Way for the 2012-13 year. They include Canada Mental Health Association; Canadian National Institute for the Blind; Canadian Paraplegic Association; Canadian Red Cross; Saskatchewan Abilities Council; The Arthritis Society; Envision Counselling and Support Centre; Southeast Advocates for Employment; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Weyburn; the Weyburn Care-A-Van Society; Weyburn Special Care Home Auxiliary, and new this year is the Color My World Daycare.
Residents who are interested in volunteering, having Captain United or Lady Charity at their special event, or entertaining during the Communithon should visit the Weyburn and District United Way website at:
http://www.weyburnunitedway.com.
