24-Hour Curl-A-Thon

Prince Edward Curling Club backs the build

Over 162 intrepid curlers kept the rocks sliding during a 24-hour period in a fundraiser for the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Back the Build Campaign this past weekend. In two-hour blocks of time, teams of curlers kept up a continuous series of games starting at noon on Saturday and ending at noon on Sunday. Last year’s Curl-A-Thon raised a staggering $51,000 after the organizers had set a goal of ten to fifteen thousand dollars. “We had originally thought to run a bonspiel to raise money for Back the Build, with teams playing against each other, but bonspiels cost a lot of money and we thought the Curl-A-Thon was a better bang for the buck for Back the Build,” said Ron Stakes, one of the event organizers. “We were amazed at the generosity of the community and managed to raise $51,000. The economic times are a little different this year than last year, so we set ourselves a goal of $35,000.” The organizers had hoped to have eight players on the ice at all times, but with 163 players— compared with 112 last year—it was possible to have two simultaneous games for much of the 24-hour period. There were many returning players this year, including some who were first-time curlers last year and were only now getting back on the ice.

Each of the participants is required to bring in pledges totalling at least $100, but many exceeded that figure, with several amassing over $1,000. There was also a silent auction of items donated by local businesses, including a child’s ride-on tractor, a hardware kit, a selection of County beers and ciders, and a private yoga class. A number of local businesses including The Acoustic Grill, Angry Bird’s, Tim Hortons, McDonald’s and Fiddlehead Farms provided food that was available for a donation. In total, the event raised $56,111.30, with possible additional donations yet to come in.

It was not just a marathon session of curling, it was also a 30-hour plus period of being awake for some of the organizers, including Mr. Stakes who was up for over 34 hours. But he said it was absolutely worthwhile. “We are overwhelmed by the support and generosity of the County residents and all of the businesses that supported the event. When we indicated that we were raising funds for the new hospital everyone gave generously. We also received great support from outside the County with donations from Toronto and as far away as Calgary,” he said.