Fundraising for the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre continues, with the target of $1.6 million nearly reached after a successful grand opening on June 16.
As of June 29, the Spirit Centre fundraising committee had on its files $1.4 million in committed funds, just $200,000 short of their goal, said committee co-chair Glenn Baron.
“We’re pretty happy with the way things have gone,” he said. “We’re thankful to everyone who’s contributed up to this point.”
Even though the facility is now fully open, Baron said that’s no reason to stop trying to make that $1.6 million.
“We’re still committed to reaching our goal of the $1.6 million,” he said.
The grand opening festivities were very helpful in getting closer to that milestone. While the live auction managed to bring in more than $25,000, other activities like the silent auction and seat sale managed to bring in close to another $25,000, bringing the total raised in the evening to close to $50,000, Baron said.
“I think the foundation is very pleased with the response of the community to what was an excellent event,” he said.
With the committee still wanting to hit the target it set, Baron said there are a number of activities planned in the coming weeks and months that should help meet the goal, the most significant of which is the ongoing seat sale.
The seat sale will continue until each one is sold at a cost of $500, which earns the buyer the right to have his or her name emblazoned on a seat forever.
Baron also said the committee is hard at work tracking down individuals and companies that may want to purchase naming rights to various rooms, such as training rooms, dressing rooms and multipurpose rooms.
The other events that are being planned remain a secret, he said, but details will come out as the events get closer to happening.
While the facility is completely up and running, Baron made it clear one critical piece is not yet in place — the donor wall, which commemorates every person and business that has contributed to the project.
He said the deadline to get engraved on the first version of the wall is July 5, which is when the names have to be sent to the engraver.
However, Baron said the wall will be updated as time goes on and more people donate, so if you miss the July 5 deadline, you’ll just have to wait longer before your name ends up on the wall.
In the meantime, he said the primary goal of everyone involved in the Spirit Centre is simply to get people through the doors.
“At this point the foundation and the town want to get as many people through it as possible to see it and recognize the potential of the building,” he said.
