Those who donated to the new Boyle and District Seniors Drop-In Centre were thanked for their support at a dinner and comedy event March 31 in the new $1.5 million facility.
Robert Bourassa, president of the Boyle and District Seniors Drop-In, said the evening was a good opportunity to thank the 120 people and groups that donated over $100 to the cause.
“It’s a good way to thank everybody, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this building today,” he said.
He also said he made it a goal when he became president in 2005 to get a new facility up and running, so “it’s a relief” to finally be at this point.
There were about 120 people invited to the dinner, everyone who donated $100 or more to the cause. Bourassa said about $500,000 of the total project cost was donated by community groups and corporate sponsors.
Dinner began at 6 p.m. after cocktails, which was catered and included potatoes and gravy, cabbage rolls and ham.
After everyone had eaten, speeches were given from dignitaries, including Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA Colin Piquette and Athabasca County Reeve Doris Splane.
Splane wanted to congratulate everyone involved for the wonderful facility, and said that when she first heard about the dream of a new seniors’ drop-in, it was nothing but a twinkle in one’s eye.
“I’m so excited to see this vision become fulfilled,” she said.
Piquette said he was happy to have played a small role in making the dream a reality.
“This is an essential asset to the community, providing a place for people to meet and maintain community for years to come,” he said. “I want to congratulate for a wonderful job putting this together.”
There was also a showing of the centre’s donation tree, with leaves displaying the names of all who had donated.
Eli and Nelly Cholach, lifetime Boyle residents, said at their 50th anniversary rather than taking the money friends and family had collected for themselves, they decided to put the nearly $800 towards the project.
“Some people felt like they had to donate towards (our celebration) so they made a collection, but we still didn’t feel right taking the collection,” Nelly said. “So we donated it towards the centre they were building.”
She added that she thinks it is fantastic to see the centre up and running.
“It’s nice to see elderly people have a place to go and be entertained,” she said.
Elsie Kennedy and her late husband Elmer were community members who also played also a role in getting the drop-in centre built.
Kennedy said her husband, who passed away in November 2014, was a real mover and shaker in the community, and was involved in the project from the beginning.
“Elmer also kept getting after the government to help us, too,” she said.
At Elmer’s funeral, Kennedy said put down the Boyle and District Seniors Drop-In Centre for donations in lieu of flowers. While she could not say exactly how much was raised, she said it must have been nearly a couple thousand.
“We’re very pleased. It’s such a beautiful building, and it’s a place where we can all get together and enjoy,” Kennedy said.
Following dinner and speeches, Ken Valgardson, comedian and former teacher, took the floor to assist attendees digest their dinners with some chuckles.
As a former teacher, Valgardson joked about the no-zero policies in schools for students, saying he was the second teacher to be given “early retirement” over the issue.
He followed the subjects commenting on how low young people wear their pants and the orientation of their hats, and joking about how protected kids are these days.
Overall, Bourassa said the event was successful in its intent to thank the community for their support.
“It went great. I’m pleased. The food was good; the entertainment was good,” he said.
