Did he or did he not, that is the question. If you still follow groundhog lore then you will know what that statement means. The bitter cold snap we just experienced did not give us any faith that winter will be shorter lived than we had hoped.
In case there weren’t enough reminders in our midst, make sure to take a moment or a gesture to celebrate our special valentines today.
Congratulations to our new Kin Club, who at not even one year old, for hosting a successful Telemiracle fundraiser last weekend that included Telemiracle national cast member Jeffrey Straker and his wife Jill entertaining. Watch for our Kin Club as they will be presenting these proceeds on Telemiracle 43 the first weekend in March. If you missed being part of this event, you can always contact any Kin Club member to send your donation along with them.
Unity Curling Club has been a flurry of action the second half of the season. Immediately following the annual men’s spiel, Northern Senior Men’s Curling Playdowns were held. Congratulations to Team Heidt and Team Fell who advanced out of Northern Men’s Senior Curling Playdowns to participate in the upcoming Affinity Credit Union Senior Men’s Provincials. Team Heidt is a past Senior Men’s Provincial champion in 2016, while Lloyd Fell is also currently skipping a team at the SaskTel Tankard in Whitewood. Last weekend, the club was busy again playing host to the Knights of Columbus Sask State bonspiel. Next on tap at the end of February is the annual Oilperson’s bonspiel and registrations are still being taken by calling the club at 306-228-2212. As well, this week, Battlewest District high school playdowns were held. All reasons to appreciate our ice techs and UCC team as the keep all of these events on track as well as ice conditions favourable to all competitors.
What’s on tap at St. Peter’s School? The school choir performed at mass Feb. 12. The Grades 4-6 enjoyed a ski trip Feb. 13. Today staff and students will take part in school mass at 1 p.m. Feb. 14. As well, this week was full of fun and activity as part of Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. Students will be on a one-week spring break starting with Family Day on Feb. 18. A reminder that St. Peter’s Grade 3 class are collecting tabs from cans for Silver for Gold, an initiative raising funds and awareness for Childhood Cancer. Please help them to donate to this worthy cause by collecting tabs and dropping them off at St. Peter’s School. They will be collecting tabs until the end of this school year.
At UCHS, report cards have been sent home for semester one, and students are into the routine of semester two academics. It is also recognized by Grade 12s as their last semester of high school before they graduate and there is plenty for them to keep busy with, including continued grad fundraising, scholarship applications, post-secondary plans and their own graduation plans. Basketball is entering the latter part of their season. Following spring break the senior girls will hold their annual pink tournament raising funds and awareness for breast cancer. Students and staff will also be actively following fellow students Alexis Elder and Ashton Brebner who are competing at Canada Winter Games with Team Sask Alpine team, as well as Presli O’Donnell who is part of the the dance team performing at opening ceremonies seen on CTV.
At Unity Public School, they are gearing up for some Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week the week before the February break as they know how much they appreciate their staff and teachers. Those refreshed snow hills on their playground have been getting much love, even with the cold weather.
Hockey is the non-stop action movie playing at your local arena as all teams are now involved in both league and provincial playoffs. As well, the Midget AA team and Unity Miners are also into their playoff seasons. This is the time of the year where teams could be excited with moving on to the next round or sad that their seasons are over, depending on how their playoffs go. You won’t want to miss a moment. You can find out all the latest upcoming games by looking for posters around town, watching the town electronic sign, checking out the TVs in the arena lobby or checking out the Town of Unity website.
The Family Day long weekend and school break might make the town a little quieter but no question about it, once school is back in session there will be another range of multiple activities coming up in Unity. These include Celebrate Unity March 4, hosted by our local Chamber of Commerce recognizing new businesses and exemplary service. Nominations are now being accepted by contacting Helena at the Press Herald office. This event will include the entertainment of up and coming country music star, Trevor Panczak. The Knights of Columbus are also now selling tickets for their Pattison Children’s Hospital fundraiser coming up March. 8. The annual Ducks Unlimited banquet is the following weekend in March. March also brings annual general meetings for Delta Co-op and Unity Credit Union. And, we all know, we will be glued to Saskatchewan’s only telethon as Telemiracle takes place in Saskatoon the first weekend in March. Watch for Jennifer Deuchar from UCHS who will be performing.
And while I’m listing off upcoming activity in Unity I would be amiss not to mention that April brings a spring trade show and another Indoor RV & ATV Show as well as the annual Delta Co-op Easter Egg Hunt for kids. Music Festival is also held each April so there will be plenty of venues showcasing all this terrific talent in piano, musical theatre, voice and much more, with a showcase held on the Sunday closing festival week. May brings the 2019 inductions for the Unity Sports Wall of Fame.
While hockey season will be in the latter part of their season, ball players have registered for their season and some players have been in training programs all winter, while others have started their own “spring training” programs attending local clinics or those clinics held in other communities.
Coffee row folks know that hot coffee and warm places along with hot topics and cold weather conversations are just what is needed to get them through the dog days of winter. They enjoy their daily gatherings at various venues in town, sharing all of the great things that have taken place in our community and excitedly reviewing all of the activity that is on tap for Unity. So you can see life is full of fun and activity in Unity and our friends at coffee row sharing this traditional part of our community culture. Until next time...
Prairie Women on Snowmobiles enjoy lunch stop in Unity:
Prairie Women on Snowmobiles is a non-profit organization whose annual missions are provincial awareness events designed to focus attention on breast cancer and the recreation of snowmobiling as well as raise funds for Canadian Cancer Society breast cancer research, totalling over $2.3 million to date.
The group was formed when two friends, one a breast cancer survivor, asked her friend to snowmobile across Saskatchewan to raise funds for breast cancer research. Together the two planned, organized and implemented PWOS. The goal since inception is to have this mission go across Saskatchewan every year.
Each mission consists of a group of 10 volunteer snowmobilers passing through many cities and towns in six days and covering approximately 1,400 kms. Volunteerism is the whole picture of PWOS women dedicating their time, resources, and sleds.
You do not have to ride a snowmobile or even own one to be a member. If you want to support PWOS, you are welcome to join.
Wilkie’s Tracey Schwebius has been part of this initiative for 12 years, both as a rider, a volunteer and supporter. She participated in 2007 and 2012 as a core rider, while in 2009 she was three days on the route as a support rider. In 2010 and 2011, she served as secretary for PWOS, travelling along on the missions as part of the executive. She says her family has attended coffee stops and evening banquets and have been support riders throughout the years, including in 2010 when her husband, Doug, and her daughters led the ladies from Wilkie to Biggar. Tracey says her inspiration to become involved was a combination of her love of snowmobiling and wanting to help raise money for cancer research, as she has lost family and friends to cancer.
A total of $2.5 million has been raised since 2001 for the Canadian Cancer Society while $303,600 has been raised since 2013 for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Funds raised support not only breast cancer research, which includes causes, prevention and treatment options, but also improving the quality of life for those impacted by the disease. One standout case is Dr. Rama Khoka of the Ontario Cancer Institute and her discoveries about the impact of the hormone progesterone on breast cancer stem cells, along with numerous contributions to advancing research methods. In 2014, her Innovation Grant was named for the Prairie Women on Snowmobiles, in recognition of this group’s effective fundraising.
PWOS annual missions also support breast cancer screening and care at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Every dollar donated through this initiative stays in Saskatchewan to make a difference, with equipment at the cancer centres in Regina and Saskatoon, and for the screening program for breast cancer that includes a mobile bus.
Unity hosted a lunch stop for the riders on Feb. 4 at St. Peter’s hall. Town council welcomed the ladies with team introductions held, along with a history. A poignant part of their short program during these stops includes a pinning ceremony for breast cancer survivors.
Schwebius says her husband Doug and daughter Rebecca and herself were to lead the ladies to Kerrobert for their afternoon coffee stop. The PWOS group is thankful for each community that hosts a breakfast, morning coffee stop, lunch stop and afternoon coffee stop that always ends in an evening banquet at their overnight stop.
The 2019 mission started Feb. 3 in Meadow Lake and Unity was included in the day two ride, which took them as far as Kindersley. In their six-day trek this year, they travelled from their start point of Meadow Lake to Prince Albert, arriving the evening of Feb. 8, putting their travels through 25 communities.
Core riders are expected to raise a minimum of $3,000 as well as having their sleds plated and insured at their own expense. All other expenses are covered, including sponsors who donate fuel, oil, hotel rooms, use of the semi, trailer, van and cargo trailer that accompanies them, advertising meals and other amenities they need along the way
Tracey says one of her biggest takeaways has been, “As a rider, you hear the survivors’ journeys with cancer. They often tell us we are their angels and heroes riding for the cure. We don’t consider ourselves any of those as we think they are the heroes for battling this horrible disease and kicking cancer’s butt. Each mission is a very emotional week for everyone. The one mission that stands out in my mind was when we stopped at the Asquith School. It was my turn to give the history that day and do the pinning ceremony. When I asked for any survivors to come forward, a little girl who was seven years old stood up and came forward. As she came forward, the school started to clap and cheer for her. I started bawling my eyes out as I placed the pin on her sweater and gave her a huge hug. That was an eye opener, it goes to show you that cancer doesn’t care how old you are or who you are.
“As I have experienced being both a rider and a volunteer, I know that each venue we go to takes a lot of planning and what goes into hosting the venue. I hope that the riders of each mission take away something from each community they visit. It doesn’t matter how small or large the venue, they are all important. We don’t know what the future has in store for us, but one can hope that we will have the courage to face whatever is ahead of us. Please remember that if you feel that there have been any changes in your breasts or health to go and see a doctor right away. It’s better to over react than to procrastinate and wait until it’s too late. Please remember, do your monthly checks. That goes for both men and women. Yes, men you can also get breast cancer.”
If you missed the Unity lunch event, you can they still donate by visiting www.prairiewomenonsnowmobiles.ca, or you can contact Tracey Schwebius at 306-843-7321.
