Moosomin Rodeo Committee donates $12,500 to Play Fair Daycare
September 3, 2024, 2:59 pm
Ashley Bochek
The Moosomin Rodeo Committee has donated $12,500 to Play Fair Daycare.
Play Fair Daycare has been approved for 90 new spots and a second day care facility is in the planning stages.
Mike Sidoryk of the Moosomin Rodeo Committee says it was a group decision to donate to the day care.
“We chose the day care as a donation because most of our committee is made up of people who have either had kids go through day care, and we have a lot of young people on our committee as well, who have kids that are going to be coming up through the system so it was a situation that we felt was a good project to give to.”
Rodeo committee supports local groups
The committee decides to donate to a community group each year.
“There are a ton of different things that are going on in Moosomin and the area, so it is hard to choose, there are a lot of different things we always look at and think where it would be good to donate and one of our committee members brought up day care, and instantly everyone said absolutely,” Sidoryk said.
He says donating to a local group each year shows community support.
“It shows your community involvement. On the outside looking in, if you’re part of an event, and see the amount of people come through and what it takes to put it on, to some it may look as though we earned this money and kind of sit on it and have amazing sponsorship whether it is monetarily, through work, or supplied equipment, that it completes the circle.
“We put on an event in town that has really gained traction over the last few years with the new format, so for us as an organization we can put our name around the community, that just helps grow our event as well. It’s we support you, you support us.”
Winnings donated back
Sidoryk explains the winner of this year’s Calcutta donated its winnings back to support the day care.
“The total donation—it was a unique situation this year—the Calcutta is an event that happens at a lot of roughstock events where your audience bids on your top six riders, typically, and then your pen of bulls.
“The winner this year was P&H in Moosomin and when they realized where the donation was going, Cory Woywada had said, ‘We are a day care family, we’re donating all of our winnings back,’ so the cheque we ended up giving the day care was $12,500. That was all of the winner’s donation back plus our portion that we were giving regardless.
“The day care board was very excited and very appreciative. I think when they looked at the cheque after taking the picture, there was a little bit of shock factor, it felt like to me. It is a great cause.”
Donations over the years
The rodeo committee has donated to many other local groups over the years.
“We have also donated to the Moosomin Fire Department for two consecutive years for the bar work,” Sidoryk said. “They volunteer to help run the bar so we give them a donation for doing it. Wapella Fire Department is receiving a donation this year because they worked our bar for us this past one.
“Then, going years back there were hospital donations, playground donations, there was a lot of other things even before I was on the committee as things were happening. Every year we try to choose something.
“We started our scholarship with the high school for any student going onto post-secondary in an agriculture field. I think our donation pool is going to continue to grow and grow.”
Community support
Sidoryk explains the rodeo is becoming a bigger attraction because of the community support.
“It is the give and take of both. In order to put an event on, we need to have a good facility so of course that takes money to put into it, and the committee and I think in order to have a successful event you also need the community support in your corner.
“Some people are there because it is an event in the summer to do, some are there because they enjoy the sport, some people are there to support the group that is involved in the community and putting this event on.
“Ever since the Covid comeback it has been an amazing event and we’re gaining traction every year. It’s the sponsors that every year they are there for you. We give back to the community, so when we host an event the community support is there as well.”
