Online fundraisers to help ag students

By Tim Kalinowski on February 17, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

With COVID-19 continuing to put a damper on public events, Lethbridge and District Exhibition Park and the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East are teaming up to host two online fundraisers to support two agricultural students attending post-secondary education in the region.
“Each year Lethbridge and District Exhibition and the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East get together as two non-profit organizations, and we have formed the Ag Scholarship Committee, and that committee is dedicated to raising thousands of dollars to further recognize the importance of agriculture in our community by supporting local students in their pursuit of an agricultural career,” explains Mike Wuchterl, supervisor of sales and marketing for Exhibition Park.
“Normally this event would fall within the date ranges of Ag. Expo. And there would be a rewards’ banquet with over 300 guests, table sales, and a nice prime rib dinner with lots of partner interaction. We would have live speakers and then give away the live award.”
The money raised from the live banquet event would in a typical year be the source of the money used to pay out the scholarships, says Wuchterl. “Obviously this year, without being able to gather in large numbers, that was the unique problem our committee had going into this,” he says.
The solution the committee came up with to solve the dilemma is an online Silent Auction and an online 50/50 draw. The committee will also host a live speaker, Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture, at a Zoom event on Feb. 25 where the scholarship winners will be announced.
While they have not quite reached their goal yet of raising $20,000 for two scholarships of $10,000 each, Wuchterl says he is confident Lethbridge residents and the surrounding rural community will come through for local ag students in the end.
“It has obviously proven to be a lot more challenging when you can’t get all these people together in a group,” he says. “But, at the end of the day, we have been pleasantly surprised with some of the response we have gotten. We have really got our foot on the gas here in the final stretch to meet our goals, and hopefully give away two scholarships on Feb. 25.”
The deadline for the 50/50 draw is Feb. 21 and Silent Auction bids are done by 8 p.m. on Feb. 25.
“During these trying times, this is a unique opportunity to support agriculture in our community,” states Wuchterl. “With the youth side of it, it is a really impactful thing to do.”
To purchase a 50/50 draw ticket online visit Rafflebox at:  https://rafflebox.ca/raffle/lethbridgescholarship?fbclid=IwAR3rlZsA8XTE3GMcmni51DrAW4bWnjByH8kT5TYKFF6MO4JOKALcsg9FjMo
To view and bid on Silent Auction items visit HandBid at:
https://events.handbid.com/auctions/2021-ag-scholarship-silent-auction/items?fbclid=IwAR3LeM6Udbb9ALJwjvlGQHnEAHX1w14Edu0FsJZa13xqCDHiwo4Uc5kPkRw

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