As Summer draws to a close, so too does this year's round of community fundraising efforts by E. Bourassa and Sons as they tally the proceeds from their 2023 Growth Fund. Having previously run barbecue fundraisers with great success, Marketing Manager Britney Fisher shares that they decided to adjust their typical process from last year in order to better target the growth and development of small communities within their service areas. 

"We really understand how important these small communities are. We had an application process this year where we went through a checklist to see which applicants would meet the requirements, which groups aligned with our beliefs, and the Souris Valley Daycare was the lucky recipient of the Weyburn barbecues."

Each location participated in this process with Radville choosing to support both Radville Tourism and the Radville Community Daycare, Carlyle making their donations to the Caryle Family and Youth Centre, and Assiniboia selecting the Golden South Childcare Centre as the recipient of their fundraising efforts. A whopping total of $10,893 was raised between all four E. Bourassa and Sons locations, with nothing more than hotdogs, smokeys and hamburgers fresh off the grill. 

"It's very rewarding to see the community come together- and surrounding communities! It's pretty unique that we are supporting the daycare out of Oungre and seeing that area come out to support us and support their new daycare. Giving back to the community is very important to so many people and we see that when they come out to the barbecues. We appreciate that support and thank everyone who came out all Summer long."

EBS

A total of $2,981 will be donated from the Weyburn branch to Souris Valley Daycare Inc. as they build their new organization from the ground up. To better understand the motivation behind these investments into small communities, Fisher says to simply search "#EBSfuturefarmers".

"We want to invest in our youth, we want to invest in our small communities, because agriculture is not going anywhere," says Fisher. "We want to continue being part of this thriving industry. It's very important!"

Kelsey Ashworth, president of the newly founded Souris Valley Daycare Inc., shares her elations following the success of the fundraisers and the incredible response received from the community.

"This opportunity has been huge for the daycare. It's allowed us to get out into the community as a new organization, bringing lots of awareness towards what we are building. We've had some great publicity which helps with finding potential sponsors, but it's also been encouraging to see how useful and needed the project is in our hometown."

So far, support has rained down from Weyburn, Estevan and Oungre through donations of both cash and items for the new facility, greatly aiding in the rapid development of this new daycare. Having just received the delivery of their building at the end of July, the project is quickly coming to fruition after first conceptualizing the idea in June of last year. Even though it is moving quickly with an estimated operational date set for October of 2023, Ashworth says there is still some important work ahead.

"Our next projects will be a chain-link fence for the playground area, as well as our deck and accessibility ramp. That's really our next pending payment, which is what this money raised will be going towards." 

BBQ

Located in the community of Oungre, approximately 40 minutes south of Weyburn on Highway 35, the Souris Valley Daycare is also searching for applicants to fill the roles of Executive Director as well as Early Childhood Educators and Assistants. Ashworth recommends following the Souris Valley Daycare Inc. Facebook page to stay up to date with current job opportunities and their progress with opening the new facility. 

E. Bourassa and Sons is extremely gracious for the support received from each community in aiding their efforts to grow and develop these local organizations. Britney Fisher extends these sentiments on behalf of all locations. 

"We really want to thank the volunteers that came out from these groups, and all their efforts to help make this a success. And thank you to the communities for showing up to support them as well. Without all of you, this wouldn't have amounted to anything! We're also really excited to present these cheques to the groups because we know that every dollar means so much to them, and we are just so proud to have been a part of this rewarding journey alongside them."

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