The Riderville committee, consisting of Michael Soloski, Carey Baker, Pat and Wanda Gumpinger, Charles and Doreen Bonogofski, Len Grant, Sherri Solomko, Pat Orobko, Doc Clark, Scott Smith and Dion Delhommeau, spent the better part of 2010 trying to win the Riderville contest. The committee,once founded, bonded immediately into a well-oiled machine that worked tirelessly to ensure that Unity and the Riders were synonymously linked. A great deal of community pride was shown and built on during this quest.
Although the committee was devastated to only win runner-up in this competition, they soon learnedthat they were chosen to be host committee to one of the four stops the Rider Pride Hockey Tour would come to. This committee worked feverishly again to put on a top-notch event celebrating the Riders as well as showcasing our community.
This committee presented its proceeds from the event to their chosen charities. Tramping Lake Curling Club received $500 and the 4 main recipients of this fundraising event were WILS (Wilkie Independent Living Service), Kidsport, Unity Minor Hockey and Unity Minor Ball, who each received the sum of $2,988.34. The total given back to the community from this event was $12,453.36!
And in the grand scheme of things, in aten-monthtime span, through the Run for Riderville as well as the Rider Pride Hockey Tour, this committee was able to orchestrate fundraising dollars to the tune of $16,362.87 for their community (including the $3,909.51 presented to Minor Football in 2010). This small baker's dozen of folk, banded together to working on a common cause and goal, not for themselves or for self interests, but instead to help organizations in the community benefit from their work, to raise the Rider Pride level in the community and to elevate community awareness within Unity, the area, the district and the province. It will be hard to top this work and the committee is saying "never say never" when it comes to future ideas. They feel their success could help spawn other groups to take on tasks such as these. And although they know that in 2010 the bar was set very high for showcasing our community,with committees like Riderville and the grand volunteer base we have in Unity, it won't be long before another event could be on its way.
WILS has earmarked the dollars received towards landscaping and fencing at their new accommodations in Unity. Kidsport was a thrilled recipient stating that any funds to their cause will help those children in the community who aren't financially able to take part in organized sports, swimming, etc., due to their budget restraints. Unity Minor Ball is earmarking their funds towards the new bathroom project at the ball diamonds. Unity Minor Hockey has a wish list and hope these funds can take care of something on it. All recipient organizations provided volunteers for the Rider Pride Hockey event and were most gracious at being chosen, by the Riderville committee, from the many worthy causes and organizations in town, to receive funds from the event.
