OLDS — Once again, a radiothon has helped the Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society (MVESS) move ever closer to its goal of constructing a building.
The second annual radiothon, held May 11 with the help of 96.5 CKFM, Rosehill Auction Service and various volunteers, raised more than $37,000 for the society’s building fund.
And the money just keeps coming in.
Claire Dickie of Royal LePage Wild Rose Real Estate, the company that helped organize the event, predicted they’d raise more than $40,000, perhaps more than $42,000, when all the funds and sponsorships have come in.
“That’s excellent,” said Joe Carignan of the MVESS.
He said the society needs to make sure it has enough money because costs continue to rise, due to inflation and the pandemic.
The first radiothon, held last May, raised about $38,750.
MVESS officials hope to raise a total of $400,000 to not only cover construction costs for the 3,000 square-foot facility, but also operating costs for a year or so.
Heading into this year’s radiothon, more than $200,000 had been raised for the shelter.
Last year, MVESS signed a long-term lease with the Town of Olds for 0.64 acres of property on 54th Street at the end of 50th Avenue as a place to house the shelter.
The society hopes to begin construction of the shelter next spring.
Even as Dickie was being interviewed, money kept coming in.
“There’s another $100 I see online. That’s a moving target right now,” she said with a laugh.
Dickie was asked why more money was raised during this year’s radiothon.
“I think maybe it was the auction items. We did really well on the auction items. We had some amazing items online,” she said.
She also believes people in the community are just more aware of efforts to have the shelter built and believe in that goal.
“I think there’s just been a building, higher profile over the last few years, which has been great. And now we have the sign on the piece of land as well. I think that’s sort of bringing it to people’s attention,” she said.
Dickie said her firm is helping raise money for the shelter because nationwide, Royal LePage has a public foundation dedicated to funding emergency shelters and violence prevention programs.
Dickie was asked what they’d do once enough money is raised to construct the shelter.
She said then the company would concentrate on raising funds to cover its operational expenses.
“We’ll still stay with the Mountain View Emergency Shelter because that’s our thing that we’re committed to,” she said.
