Off to a Great Start in 2012

Here it is not even the end of January and we’ve already had the first committee meeting to plan the 2012 event.

It looks like we’ve got some exciting things happening for the event this year, some of which we need to keep under our Smithbuilt for a little while.

The event will be August 18th.  We plan to go back to Little Elbow for our fourth year.  We’ve started to book some of the entertainment and we’re lining up the committee to start working in various areas.

We’ve already obtained a saddle as a prize, again from Irvine’s.  We’ll post some photos once we have a chance.  Last year’s saddle looked great, and this one will too.  We thank Irvine’s for their support once again this year.

Also, plans are coming together for a second event under the Alberta Wish Ride banner.  September 8th is the date set for a ride in Cypress Hills on the border between Saskatchewan and Alberta.  We don’t have a lot of details on that one yet, but mark the date in your calendar if you want to see some scenery on the eastern side of the province.

We’ll update the web site soon for the new year as well as our sponsor package.  That’s a document we distribute to potential sponsors to let them know about the event and to ask for their support.  If you want a copy, it will be downloadable from the web site soon.

We intend to ask all participants this year to ensure their horses are shod and we’re also asking everyone to carry insurance through the Alberta Equestrian Foundation.  If you’re planning to be part of the ride in 2012, please make note.

This is already shaping up to be an exciting year, so stay tuned for more details.  And, it’s never too early to start collecting pledges.

Happy trails.

Our Buns May Have Been Cold, But the Burgers were Warm

Minus 18 degrees and we’re barbecuing?  Only in Canada.

We had a great afternoon at M&M’s Deer Valley on Saturday.  It was Sean’s grand reopening and he invited the Alberta Wish Ride to take part and be the beneficiary of the charity barbecue.  Except, we weren’t counting on it being so cold.

Sean’s an ingenious fellow, though.  He managed to finagle an empty storefront just down from his store and that’s where we did the serving.  He stayed out in the cold and worked the grill while everyone else stayed toasty warm inside.

Sean had burgers and hot dogs, sweet potato fries, several variety of juice and several yummy deserts.  It was a nice spread and it’s too bad more people didn’t drop by to sample.

Irene, June, Ted, Megan and Sean

Because of the cold, the turnout wasn’t great.  Apparently up to a thousand people can come to these events.  We had a decent number of people through, and that resulted in a very nice donation to the cause.

It gives us a good start for next year.

Speaking of next year, we’ll start soon to get things organized.  We’re looking for a different location and who knows what else we might pull off.

Also, it looks as if the second ride near Medicine Hat is moving forward.  It will likely be in

Our serving counter

the first couple of weeks of September.  More details to come, but we understand the location they’ve chosen may provide an opportunity to rent horses, so those without their own steeds will be able to take part in the ride.

Stay tuned for updates.  Thanks again to sean and M&M’s for their support.

Join us for a BBQ

The word is getting out about the Alberta Wish Ride, and it’s really gratifying.  More and more people are finding out about what we do and want to help us wherever they can.

A good example is M&M Meat Shops in Deer Valley.  Sean, the owner, supplied and served dinner at the ride this year.  He’s just renovated his store in Deer Valley and is hosting a barbecue on November 19th.  He’s offered to donate proceeds to the Alberta Wish Ride.  See the November 19th Flyer for details.

We hope you’ll join Sean at the barbecue and sample some of his new products.  And if you have some time, come help out for a while.  We’re hoping winter won’t be hitting us too hard yet and it will be a pleasant day.

M&Ms has some great products.  Their Tiramisu cake is outstanding.

Whether you have some time to volunteer, or just want to stop by to stock up your freezer, we hope to see you on the 19th.

A final word on year #3

We’ve now been able to wrap up the third annual Alberta Wish Ride.  The ride was August 20th, but it takes a while to put everything together and finalize the numbers.

Yesterday, we held our volunteer appreciation event and presented a cheque to the Children’s Wish Foundation for $31,000.  I need to say that again.  $31,000!

A total of 72 riders participated in the event and they came from all over the province.  These riders and their sponsors are the main source of fundraising.  We couldn’t do it without you.  We have a terrific group of dedicated volunteers who help put this together.  We have the support of community-minded individuals and companies.  It’s a lot of work, but when we see the end result, we know it’s worth it.  I get a little choked up knowing our

Volunteers Assembled for Cheque Presentation

effort brought about that result and also knowing how it’s going to help Alberta children and their families.

One of our volunteers told me yesterday it was a privilege to be able to help with the event.  That means a lot to me and tells me we’re really doing a good thing here (as if I had any doubt).

We’re just in the process of sending out letters to our sponsors and letting them know how grateful we are for their support.  Then we’ll put things away for a few months until we’re ready to start planning next year.

Yes, Irene is willing to put on another event, but we need more help.  The event is growing and it’s not getting any easier to put it together.  We need more help during the year and more physical help the week prior to the ride, so if you’ve got some time and want to volunteer, please be in touch.

The other piece of news is there may be another event happening in southeast Alberta next year.  We hope that’s the case and we’ll be there to support that one.  It will probably be a couple of weeks after our’s.  We’re looking at August 18th, 2012, so mark it in your calendar and get your horse ready.

A Week Away

We’re a week away from the event and everything is looking great.

We’ve had an influx of registrations bringing our numbers so far even with last year or maybe a few more.

Our prizes and sponsors are surpassing last year’s. Participants will have chances to win great prizes and bid on others through the silent auction.

Check out the web site for a full list of all the sponsors. Get ready to bid on some fantastic items and don’t worry, we take credit cards.

And most importantly, we’ve been able to arrange great prizes, great food and great entertainment on a minimal budget so we can maximize our donation to the Children’s Wish Foundation.

We hope you’ll stick arouind after the ride for entertainment by Larry Watmough and Alex Hughes on the Calgary Stampede stage.

We’ll see you bright and early Saturday the 20th. It will be a great day.

Check out the Sponsors

If you haven’t already, you should check out the sponsor page at the Alberta Wish Ride web site.  We are extremely grateful to all the community-minded organizations and people who have so generously donated products and cash to support our event.

Our sponsors allow us to put on a great day for our participants, and allow us to keep our expenses to a minimum.  We’ll be feeding everyone a great breakfast and dinner, providing entertainment and thanks to our supporters, maximizing the donation we make to the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada.

Scott Irvine and Irene White show off Billy Cook saddle to be given away at the 2011 Alberta Wish Ride.

What this means for our participants is a wide array of prizes up for grabs.  Not only do we have a great saddle donated by Irvine Tack and Trailer and Dark Horse Consulting, as a grand prize for the riders, but we have some other great prizes including a barbecue, lounge chairs, gift baskets, gift certificates, and other exciting items.

For every $25 you bring in in pledges, you get one ticket on the raffle for the saddle.  Other prizes will be awarded through the silent auction.  And don’t worry, we take credit cards!

Registrations have been coming in, but we still have room for more riders.  Saddle up your computer and get registered, then get out and start collecting pledges.

We hope you’ll give some business to our sponsors and when you do, please say thank you to them for supporting the 2011 Alberta Wish Ride.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Sunday was Children’s Wish day at the Okotoks Dawgs and it was loads of fun.  The foundation extended the invitation to our volunteers but not many were able to attend.  That’s too bad because it was a great day in the sun and the Dawgs won.

We’d never been to a Dawgs game, but we’ve seen plenty of Goldeyes games in Winnipeg.

At the Okotoks Dawgs game

This was just as entertaining and more intimate as the park is quite a bit smaller than Winnipeg’s.  So intimate, in fact, their promotions director, who roams around the park during the game doing giveaways, stands at the exit and thanks fans for coming.  Nice touch.

The foundation got some good exposure and the club also promoted the ride.  Thanks Dawgs.

Now, onto the ride.  We’ve had some new sponsors come on board so please check the web site to see who they are.  All sponsors are listed on the sponsorship page.  There are more contributions coming in with donations for our silent auction.  When you contact these merchants, and we hope you do, please say thanks for being a part of our event.

Those who have been at the ride know the grilling duties are handled by folks from King George Lodge.  They’ve been out every year and have become an integral part of the event.  At a recent gathering at King George, a hat was passed and the proceeds will cover the expense for the use of the grills and tents.  This is something we would have had to cover from ride proceeds.  Thanks King George for helping to keep our expenses to a minimum and we’ll recognize them as the sponsor of the grills.

We sent out a news release recently and Irene has done some interviews as a result.  Probably as a result of those interviews, more people have registered.  If you’re planning to attend, please register as soon as possible.  Due to provincial restrictions, we are limited to the number of riders we can send out on some of the trails so you may not get onto your preferred trail if you wait to register.  Besides, the sooner you register, the sooner you can start collecting pledges.  The more you bring in, the more chances you’ll have to win that beautiful saddle from Irvine Tack and Dark Horse Land Consulting.

Please get in touch if you have any questions.  We look forward to seeing you August 20th.

And by the way, GO DAWGS!