Kevin Laliberte
Editor, Smoky River Express

By the time this edition of the Express rolls off the presses and hits local mailboxes the McLennan Curling Club will have a better gauge of just how successful last weekend’s fundraising bonspiel at H.W. Fish Arena was. And if one had to use the comments made at last weekend’s cash bonspiel as a true measuring stick, the immediate reaction would be nothing short of a sweeping success for an event which remains the talk of the town. As a member of the local curling club, I was literally blown away by the spirit of cooperation and hard work that went into making this one-of-a-kind curling bonspiel a success. With so many organizational aspects attached to this major fundraiser (in support of a new curling complex), it seems nothing short of a miracle that the curling club managed to even make it happen. Still, failure was never an option! Shouldering much of that responsibility was a core group of about a dozen determined individuals, who willingly rolled up their sleeves in an effort to get this fundraising project off the ground. Leading the way was curling club president Rita L’Heureux, whose proven leadership skills were instrumental in terms of rallying the troops and coming up with a workable plan of attack. Needless to say, it was no easy feat for the dedicated few members of the curling club organizing committee who grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and quickly got to work. One of the most pressing obstacles to overcome was obtaining corporate sponsorship to help cover the expense of three new vinyl curling sheets through Hack-To-Hack Solutions Inc. That extremely large responsibility was taken on by vice-president Barry Whelen, whom, within two weeks of our initial organizational meeting, had raised in excess of $8,000 on his own accord to help cover the expense of the $12,600 curling sheets. But Whelen’s contributions didn’t end there. He also helped coordinate the plan of attack for transforming the local arena into a temporary curling rink for the bonspiel – an arduous task which took the better part of one week with the help of several key volunteers including Greg Clemens, Rod McArthur, Ben Fournier, Gilbert Demeule, Ron Chalifoux, Henry Island, Donald Roberts, Rene Maure, Darwin Payou, Neil Brulotte, Dave Gervais, Albert Island, Mike Delaurier and Kevin Grumetza of Hack-To-Hack Solutions in Thorhild). While all of that was going on, other members of the organizational committee were busy taking care of other pressing matters. That included everything from rounding up door prizes and major prize donations, to addressing signage and advertising needs, finding volunteers, setting up the beer garden – appropriately dubbed “The Cabbage Patch,” coordinating internal fundraising draws and raffles (ie., 50-50 and the “Between a Rock & a Hard Place” draw) and preparing for Saturday’s banquet and dance. This plateful of tedious, time-consuming and seemingly insurmountable tasks was accepted by Sue Delaurier, Jocelyne McArthur, Shelley Jackson, Michele Fournier, Joan Cunningham, L’Heureux and Collette Whelen – all of whom worked countless hours and made significant sacrifices along the way by never losing sight of the big picture. Special thanks go out this week to the many volunteers, who offered their services by pitching in to help with the various aspects of the fundraising event, including 50-50 ticket sales, cash calendar sales, bartending and security. Thanks also to the community for sharing the club’s vision of a new curling rink and supporting the cause, whether it was by attending the supper and dance, purchasing raffle tickets, watching the action on the ice or attending the beer gardens. Last, but not least, I offer my congratulations to the members of the McLennan Curling Club on a job well done and for drawing attention to this very worthy recreational initiative in the community. Each of you has proven through your hard work, dedication and perseverance that no obstacle, regardless of its size, is too big to overcome, especially when we work together as a community towards a common goal.

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