Starting at 8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, the 35th annual Communithon fundraiser for the Weyburn and District United Way will get underway in the Cugnet Centre, with the goal to raise at least $130,000 for the nine member agencies of the United Way.
The member agencies include the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Weyburn, Canada Mental Health, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan Inc., Canadian Red Cross, Envision Counselling and Support Centre, Weyburn Care-A-Van Society, the Sask. Abilities Council and Weyburn Special Care Home Auxiliary.
If one looks through each and every one of these agencies, we can see the different and unique needs in the community that each one meets, providing programs and/or services to people in need.
Thus when the annual telethon begins on Friday, and later wraps up on Saturday afternoon, the United Way is seeking the support of community members so they can in turn provide support to the agencies under their umbrella, and the agencies can continue to provide the services, information and programs that their clients need.
For such an extensive effort to be held each year takes a lot of dedication and hard work by many, many volunteers, both in the organizing and planning, and on Friday and Saturday, in the execution, as all of the volunteers pool their efforts together to make sure everything runs smoothly.
An example of one who has been involved from the very start of the Communithon in 1982 until the present day is Brent Allin, who as a high school senior was approached by Bob King to come lend a hand, as King helped train him up on the sound board at the Comp. Allin and a friend jumped in, and have been helping out in one way or another every year since.
There are many others who have also put in countless hours of volunteer time to make sure the Communithon goes off without a hitch, and continue to this year, all towards the singular purpose of helping out the community, which is the bottom line.
There are some very real needs in the community, and the United Way works hard to make sure they are doing what they can to meet the needs of those member agencies they are responsible for.
As school and community groups, choirs and individuals take the stage to showcase their talent, take some time to appreciate their efforts, and consider what support you are able to give the United Way. — Greg Nikkel
