Backyard fundraiser helps Mission

Thanks to Carl Fix and his wife, Sandi, who cooked chili for 300 people!

I do want to clarify that this was a private party, to which the hosts decided to throw in our honour. Due to the alcohol served, the Mission could not take part in the planning or organization of it.

Donovan and his wife, Bonnie, was invited to represent the Mission, and were fairly awed with the evening. The amount of work, money, and donated time, even from the celebreties, was very generous.

Matt Rapley of Canadian Idol sang!

And the MC of the evening was Lorne Cardinal! (Police Chief, Davis, from Corner Gas)

Read more here!

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Karen Brownlee
Tuesday, September 04, 2007

For Karl Fix, the sign of a good fundraising party is a pallet of pasta in his driveway.

The pasta was donated for Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission during an event held in the backyard of Fix and his wife Sandi Beug on Friday night.

Beyond truckloads of food and supplies to host the party that were donated by several local companies, Fix said up to $15,000 was raised for one of the many projects expanding Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission.

The walls are going up on the 30-unit emergency shelter and affordable housing building being constructed on the 1600 block of Angus Street, said Donovan Caroll, chief operations officer of Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission. The project also received funding from the federal, provincial and municipal governments earlier this year under the Centenary Affordable Housing Program and the National Homelessness Initiative.

The expansion is a big change since Souls Harbour had to find a new location for its soup kitchen after the building it was leasing was sold.

"Two years ago, we had no place to go," said Caroll.

Today, they have a 9,000-square--foot soup kitchen built last year in downtown Regina with several suites next door. The LifeChange program for men is run at a separate campus where the mission's offices are located. A similar women's centre will be run nearby since the mission has purchased the Sacred Heart Church and rectory, said Caroll. These are just some of services offered by the mission, which was created when Souls Harbour Mission House and Regina Rescue Mission joined forces earlier this year.

This fundraiser held on Friday did a lot to expose the work of the mission, said Caroll. Fix said those who attended were inspired by the mission's work and have said they intend to do more to help it.

Several local and out-of-town musicians and entertainers performed and have said they'll be back to volunteer for such a fundraiser again. Several business people in the community have also expressed an interest in helping to ensure such this fundraiser continues, said Fix.

"This was a spur of the moment thing," said Fix.

"We want to do more planning for next year."

Fix and his wife decided to hold a fundraiser in their backyard and chose Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission after spending some time helping out there.

Money was raised through the 250 tickets sold at $50 each, but some of those attending chose to pitch in more once at the fundraiser, said Fix.

"We hope to do this annually," said Fix.

"I think next year, we'll charge $100. In talking to people, they said they'd be willing to pay."

The money will be used to support the work of the mission and "chew away" at any mortgage it may need to acquire to pay for its properties, said Caroll.

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007