The Prince Albert Winter Festival is off and running, but this year organizers hope to provide more than just entertainment when they welcome guests to one of the largest Winter Festivals in Western Canada.
This year, the festival will help collect donations for the new Ronald McDonald House in Prince Albert at all indoor Winter Festival events.
“Ronald McDonald House does amazing, amazing work,” Prince Albert Winter Festival President Trina Joseph said. “That they are building one in our city is fantastic. It’s going to be somewhere safe for the families who are coming to the city who have to bring their children in to see the doctors or who have expended hospital space.
“We are going to have that House here and that a lot closer home than having to go all the way to Saskatoon. That home here will serve Prince Albert and area which will be an amazing addition to our city.”
Joseph and her sister began discussing the idea with Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Charities leadership when they held their gala in Prince Albert last fall. Joseph said they were looking for ways to support RMH in building a home here in Prince Albert especially with the developments at the Victoria Hospital.
The donations can be made directly to the Ronald McDonald House, Saskatchewan by scanning the QR Code which goes directly to RMH Facebook where the donations can be made. The QR Code will be posted at all indoor Winter Festival events. There will also be donation boxes at indoor events.
“I cant speak to what they do online because we don’t see those donations. They go directly to them. We keep track of the donation boxes that we have and people and throwing in a couple of notes here ad there,” Joseph said. “Right now we have (raised) about $1,000 which just amazing because we are still very early into the festival. We are hoping to fill up that container by the end of the festival.”
The festival will be ending on the Feb. 22 with the Gospel show. The festival will keep collecting donations until that night.
“The fundraising is for the building and there’s so much that goes into that, the building, all the furnishing, all the foods and all the supplies they will need for the house , toys, clothes etc. They can always use the additional support,” Joseph said.
She added that they are pleased to have made some amounts already and encouraged everybody “to come out and enjoy the festival and have fun.”
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