Gofundme campaign launched to save arena

While the inspired effort by the Valley community as well as its extended network throughout Quebec was not quite enough to top the city of Lucan, Ontario to win Kraft Hockeyville, the goal of keeping the Promutual Regional Sports Centre running has not been forgotten. In fact, the dream is burning just as strong with the launch last week of a go-fundme drive to raise the funds so badly needed for a new refrigeration system to save the arena. With just over $23,000 raised as of last Friday, from 174 donations, the cam-paign is well on its way. According to the Gofundme description, the aim of the campaign is to “keep the Kraft Hockeyville 2018 dream alive and show our nation that we are a strong proud commu-nity.” Donations of any amount can be made through the site, and any support will be graciously accepted by the organizing committee behind the drive. The current refrigeration system dates back to the 1950s and the replacement costs are significant to say the least. Despite the recently announced influx of $433,000 from the provincial government to support the arena, the substantial sum represents only half of what is needed. An additional $250,000 is necessary to complete this project and to maintain user fees at a reasonable rate. As such, the Gofundme campaign is one way for the community to continue to support the regional arena. “Every amount makes a difference, explains Erick Faubert, a member of the organizing committee. Our arena is not only used by local athletes, but by everyone that passes through from the region,” he adds. Community effort In the hours following the announcement of the winner of Kraft Hockeyville, the Internet was flooded with messages simply thanking the community for its implication. Beyond being rewarded with $25,000 for arena renovations, as well as $10,000 in equipment from the NHL Players Association, Hockeyville rallied the Valley and cata-lyzed an energized spirit that saw so many beyond the hockey community become in-vested in this campaign. The upwelling of support for the arena saw volunteers spend countless hours voting over and again while others distributed flyers. Several local businesses also supported Huntingdon, which was one of four finalists in the nation-wide contest. To help keep this momentum going, here is the address for the gofundme campaign online: www.gofundme.com/arena-regional-promutuel-huntingdon?member=47154.