MOOSOMIN — The Moosomin Rangers’ first-ever Sin Bin fundraiser raised over $11,000 for Playfair Daycare.
A collaboration between the Rangers and the PlayFair Daycare, a hockey-themed ‘jail and bail’ fundraiser was held during the Dec. 20 Rangers vs. Oxbow Huskies game. For a minimum $50 donation to the daycare, people could nominate someone to spend time in the Sin Bin, which was set up in the lobby of the Mike Schwean Arena that night. To get out of the Sin Bin, people were required to raise at least double the amount of money that got them nominated.
Rangers president Mike Schwean noted a great crowd for the last game before Christmas, which also included the annual minor hockey awards and Rangers Hall of Fame inductions.
“It’s important for our Rangers team, we rely so much on local sponsorship,” he said. “It’s not cheap running a senior hockey team, so we’re very fortunate in Moosomin to have fantastic corporate support and private support, and so it’s nice for us to have an opportunity to give something back to the community. That’s a big win for us too.”
Speaking of big wins, the Rangers did not disappoint their hometown crowd, besting the Oxbow Huskies 5-2 in an action-packed match.
“They’ve got a good young team,” Schwean said. “I knew it wouldn’t be an easy game.”
Raising money and promoting the project
It wasn’t hard to spot where exactly the fundraiser was taking place in the arena either.
“Where we put the Sin Bin was front and centre when you walked in the rink, so you couldn’t help but see it,” Schwean said.
After all the proceeds from the ‘offences’ were calculated, PlayFair Daycare received over $11,000 from the Sin Bin fundraiser.
“We weren’t really sure what to expect, so this was a very pleasant surprise,” said Jill Jones, board chair with PlayFair Daycare. “The Sin Bin was probably the most successful fundraiser that we’ve had to date, apart from the Smile Cookie campaign.”
One of those lucky individuals who found themselves in the Sin Bin was Jason Miller, who ended up surpassing the amount required to bust out.
“He was nominated for $500 so he had to raise $1,000 and he actually came through and raised $2,500 on his own,” Jones explained. “People like that coming in, going above and beyond was really awesome.”
The fundraiser was also an excellent opportunity to explain why a new building for PlayFair Daycare is so important to a wider audience.
“Having that opportunity to reach a broader population and other people in the community, that was a great opportunity to have the chance to tell them what we’re raising money for, and to allow them to participate, too,” Jones said.
When asked if the daycare would consider participating in a future Sin Bin fundraiser, Jones was quick to agree.
“If the Rangers would be so kind as to have us again, absolutely,” she said. “Everyone was having a lot of fun with it!”
New building to break ground this spring
The daycare was granted 90 extra spaces back in 2023 through the provincial government, which meant building a second location. The estimated $4.4 million project received a $1.5 million investment in the form of a grant from the province, but the remainder requires community support ($1.4 million) and self-funding ($1.5 million). Since the announcement, the project has secured a location for the second building after the Â鶹´«Ã½AVeast Cornerstone School Division offered a piece of their land formerly used for part of the school grounds south of MacLeod Elementary School. Breaking ground on the new building is anticipated for this spring to be open by the end of 2026. There are approximately 75 families currently on the waitlist for a daycare spot in Moosomin.
Currently, the daycare board is in full fundraising mode with their Win and Wander Trip of the Month fundraiser taking priority. That promotion held an early bird cash draw the same day as the Sin Bin fundraiser.
“There were lots of people very interested at the rink to hear who did win the early bird,” Jones said. The $5,000 prize was won by Rebecca McDonald of Pilot Butte, and the first trip prize (plus an additional cash prize draw) will happen this Friday, Jan. 10 and every second Friday of the month thereafter until June 13.
“We’re really looking forward to being able to give away a trip and some cash,” Jones said of the initial draw.
There are also a number of sponsorship tiers available ranging from the $1,000 Helping Hand and $5,000 Paving the Way sponsorship to more exclusive levels, such as the $15,000 Vision Maker (12 sponsorships), the $80,000 Bright Futures (four sponsorships), and $300,000 Dream Builder (two sponsorships).
“Even through this Christmas break, we’ve had a couple of corporate sponsors reach out to us with some monetary commitments,” Jones explained.
“That’s been really good to see. It’s wonderful to see the support”
Volunteers are also always welcome, as are opportunities to work with local partners.
“We’re always looking for volunteers, always looking for opportunities, and willing to chat with any organizations in the community and surrounding communities to talk about how it can benefit them,” Jones said.