DominicStrong team member Sean Rooney poses for a portrait with a bright pink beard following a challenge.--NEWS PHOTO ANNA SMITH
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
The weekend’s 25-hour Game Day was a massive success, helping a local charity meet and exceed its annual fundraising goal of 25,000.
The team from DominicStrong, which raises money for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, had amassed roughly $15,000 so far through events such as Superhero Night with the Mavericks, an online auction, as well as standalone donations throughout the year. The amount collected this weekend over 25 hours at SixOneSix Entertainment however, has given an unexpected boon.
“I’m a financial planner for TD Wealth,” said DominicStrong team member Nicole Johnson. “I offered to match our donations that we collect during the game day, up to $5,000. On top of that, my boyfriend actually works for Cenovus, so donations that we make as a household, he can apply and Cenovus will actually match them again. So our cash donations are getting quadrupled right now, and any online donations are getting tripled.”
Between previous fundraising and what was collected during the game day, DominicStrong has managed to collect roughly $23,291, with another $5,000 to come from Johnson and $450 in cash donations still to be added.
Team member Sean Rooney estimates that the current figure sits around $28,741, as the matching donation from Cenovus may not come through until 2026. This still makes an impressive figure for 2025, as DominicStrong has managed to raise more than $14,000 in the past week alone.
The local charity honours the memory of Dominic Rooney, who in 2013 was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia just shy of his first birthday. He battled for two years but lost his fight in September 2015.
The team was at SixOneSix Entertainment from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. on Sunday, becoming a 25-hour marathon with the time change. Participants played various board and video games, as well as completed dice-generated dares with every $10 donation, such as temporarily dying their hair, drinking hot sauce or doing their makeup.
Toward the end of the marathon can be something resembling torture, says Johnson, but she added it is nothing compared to what the children and families they’re fundraising for are going through.
“We had lots of support and, importantly, lots of fun doing it,” said Rooney.
DominicStrong will continue to accept donations online for this year’s fund up until Dec. 31, with more information and links available on their FaceBook page.
