The Boys and Girls Club of Rimbey is about to launch an exciting new fundraiser starting in March.
“We will be launching our ‘Pot of Gold” 50/50 fundraiser’, which will run on a monthly basis with one winner each month,” said Alyssa Belsey, program director for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“We are going to start it on March 1st - we thought that would be a good month (to begin) with St. Patrick’s Day,” she added. “So from March 1st until the last weekday of the month we will sell 50/50 tickets, which are five dollars each.
“The winner will then split the pot with us, and there is a guaranteed minimum payout of $500 no matter how many tickets we sell,” she explained.
“Our sister agency in Ponoka does it and they typically see pots of around $4,000 meaning each party gets around $2,000. So we are hoping that we can get our (donations) up there as well,” she said.
The fundraiser will certainly go a long ways towards helping the organization during such challenging times, what with the ongoing pandemic putting a stop to regular fundraisers that are counted on each year, she added.
“We normally do a huge bowling fundraiser around this time, so there are just so many things that we can’t do. So we have to think up some different ideas,” she said.
These days, things are going well at the organization, she said, in spite of various restrictions.
“We definitely want everyone to know that we are still open; we are still running and we are taking all of the precautions that we can to make sure the program is safe for everybody,” she said, adding that there is always a need for mentors to sign up with Big Brothers, Big Sisters as well.
“It’s slowed down a bit because of COVID-19, but we do have an off-site location outside of the school that everyone can meet at. We take all of the precautions there,” she said.
This space is located at the Nazarene Church.
It’s ideal, because it still allows mentors and their ‘little brothers and little sisters’ to get together, as she mentioned, in a safe space for in-person chats and activities all the while in a safe and healthy environment.
For those considering coming onboard as a mentor with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Belsey said she hears a lot about the connections that are being made.
“It’s nice to have someone that you are still allowed to hang out with - by making it safe for them, we keep that social connection going,” she explained.
The kids sure appreciate the new friendships as well.
“I think that they love it - again, whether they are in school or doing virtual school, they have the opportunity to meet with a person that they have built a friendship with.
“They’ve been limited - lots of kids are used to doing extra-curricular activities, seeing their friends and such. So everyone still really enjoys this opportunity to meet,” she said.
“We definitely wanted them to have this option.”
For Belsey, her role with the organization has been a joy.
“I’m loving it. I’m actually new to the community of Rimbey as well, so it’s been a great way for me to learn some new job skills, but I also get to become really involved with the community. The kids in this community are so awesome! I love them so much.”
For more about the Pot of Gold fundraiser, or about the Boys and Girls Club or Big Brothers, Big Sisters, call 403-843-1066 or find them on Facebook at ‘Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rimbey’.