PENHOLD - From sports and family services to cotton candy it was all there for Penholders.
The annual Penhold Discovery Night was held Aug. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Penhold Regional Multiplex. The event is similar to Innisfail's annual spring and fall registration nights where citizens can scan the many local opportunities for themselves and sign up to participate.
In Penhold, hundreds came through the multiplex doors free of charge to see what their town had to offer. They could register themselves or their kids with the scores of offered programs and services, and even accept a free balloon art from Miss Lulu or make a donation to the future Penhold skatepark by purchasing sweet cotton candy.
"This has been going on for quite a few years. We have modified the event over the years and it has grown," said event co-organizer Jennifer Blaylock, FCSS coordinator for the Town of Penhold. She added about 50 vendors participated, also free of charge, in this year's Penhold Discovery Night. Those include non-profit community groups, local businesses and other service organizations, including churches and sports groups. Most were from Penhold but some came from Red Deer.
"For the vendors themselves they are able to network and meet the other groups and businesses," said Blaylock, adding the late August date for the event was beneficial for many citizens as it was a good opportunity to register themselves and their children for upcoming fall activities such as in local sports or in play or pre-school. "For the people in the community they are able to see who services us and all the opportunities available to them here."
Janessa McCormack is the volunteer resources coordinator for Red Deer-based Youth HQ, which offers opportunities for the young from Big Brothers Big Sisters, which runs the acclaimed mentoring program at local schools; the Boys and Girls Club, which has after-school and evening programs; Red Deer's youth shelter and Camp Alexo.
"We are here tonight because we want to ensure all the youth of Penhold have the opportunity to participate in our programs and agencies that are under our roof," she said. "We definitely see the need for mentors whether it be in school or as a Big Brother Big Sister who is able to give one hour a week to kids.
"Having a discovery night is absolutely critical to our organization," added McCormack. "In this day and age there are not necessarily huge marketing and promotion budgets but getting out and talking to people face to face, and letting them know what we can do for you, where they can come and volunteer with us or with any of these organizations, is absolutely critical."
One attending group that has little or no marketing budget is the Penhold Optimist Skatepark Committee. They depend mostly on face to face meetings with the public for their messaging to convince the public they need its ongoing support, and to raise enough money to get a skatepark for the community. Last July they released new fundraising figures. In just two years the committee has raised $116,500 for the project. Committee members need to raise $300,000 before they are eligible to apply for a provincial matching grant to build a $600,000 skatepark for the community.
Brenda Mahoney, the chair of the committee, was heading her group's booth and sold cotton candy along with young volunteers to reach out to citizens attending the Aug. 21 event.
"We get a lot of donations. We sell cotton candy. I've got two kids helping me out," said Mahoney. "This is a chance for me to give out information, not only on the skatepark, but what the Optimist club does as well as raising funds for the skatepark."
