MIDALE - Many people turned up to support the heart of the Midale community.
The 28th annual M.O.R.E. (Midale Organization for Recreational Expansion) 2000 Inc. fundraising auction on April 15 at the Harry 'O Memorial Arena saw a lot of people participating, and it brought over $108,000 for the Midale Rink.
Midale recreation board chairwoman Marnell Eagles said they were very excited to see the support.
"The fundraiser was a huge success. We had a sold-out crowd of 300 on Saturday night and a huge attendance. We had youth to adults to seniors that came out and great sponsorships. It was a huge success for us that night," Eagles said.
She noted that through the years they've been happy to have Midale, Macoun and Halbrite steadily supporting their fundraisers with participation, sponsorships and donations.
"We've been very fortunate, in the area that we live in, to have these kinds of people that always think first of the rink and the value that the community rink has to this area," Eagles said.
The night of the fundraiser started with a presentation of the board and contractors that are working for the community rink. The supper, provided by Tammy's Homestyle Cooking, was followed by an auction which lasted until about 10:30 p.m. They held silent, live and Dutch auctions with a $5,000 Room by Room gift certificate as the first prize, $2,500 in Milwaukee Tools from Southern Bolt Supplies as second and a $1,000 travel voucher from CAA for third. Eagles said they had many various items donated locally for the auctions, and they also held several games throughout the night. All funds raised during that night will go back into the rink.
"We were very pleased with the turnout and the outcome," Eagles said.
The rink has some major projects that are on the way, and the board will decide how to better utilize the raised funds during their next meeting. Eagles noted that they put money into the livelihood and longevity of the rink as well as into the services that they provide.
The Midale Rink has a very active curling committee and a hockey ice surface that is 100 per cent booked up from fall through spring. They have committees and organizations that use the rink spaces for meetings. The rink is also hosting the local library and until recently, when the Midale fire department acquired a new fire hall, they used to be a home for the local emergency services and the main go-to place for Midale, Macoun and Halbrite area residents during emergencies. The Midale Rink also has a kitchen, serving meals on regular basis and being utilized for events.
"We are 100 per cent community based, and we welcome all those things from craft sales to monthly meetings of anyone from 4-H to our minor hockey leagues, or the women's league, we have all of those [organizations] that are accessing the rink at any time," Eagles said.
"It really is the heart of our community. Several years ago, when our main chiller went down and we couldn't make ice, we had a fundraiser and we raised enough money to purchase a brand new chiller, which at that time was around $110,000. People joined in donating at that time because they call it the heart of the community.
“ Without the rink going, where else were people going to go … So, we have to keep it alive and keep it well maintained, because it is just so greatly needed in the community."
On behalf of the board, Eagles also thanked everyone involved and contributing to the fundraiser.
"We're very thankful and appreciative of all the people that came out that night to help us raise the money to keep our doors open, keep our lights on and to continue to provide the services that we have been so fortunate to be able to do in the last 28 years of this M.O.R.E. auction," Eagles said.
