M.L. Kinsmen sports dinner celebrates community

Funding for the gymnasium at Gateway School got a financial boost this weekend, thanks to an event that is growing in popularity. 

The sixth annual Kinsmen Sports dinner took place on Friday, June 16, and organizer Evan Haubrich said that this year’s event was a great one, especially with the speakers that attended this year.

“We had a lot of strong support from the community,” he said. “Now that we’re in our sixth year, people are starting to get to know the event pretty well and look forward to it.”

Each year, the event brings in sports legends to speak and share their anecdotes, and thanks to the great amount of interest, each year, funds raised from the event go back into the community.

“Every year we’ve given to a different cause,” said Haubrich. “In the past we’ve helped with the Saskatchewan Summer Games; Kin (Water) Park; we helped install the first wheelchair accessible playground in Meadow Lake at Jubilee School; we donated to Kopahawakenum School’s nutrition program last year; and this year we’re donating to Gateway School’s gymnasium.”

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The crowd was treated to a pair of sports legends during the evening. Gene Makowsky, who played 17 seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and is a current MLA, talked about his time with the club. And Dennis Hull, who played for Team Canada in 1972 and for the Chicago Blackhawks, has been a colour commentator and speaker for a number of years.

Haubrich said the club felt very fortunate about this year’s lineup of speakers.

“Gene Makowsky was someone we were super excited to have,” he said. “When you think of the Riders, you really think of him, and having homegrown Saskatchewan player up here is pretty cool. And Dennis Hull was at the first sports dinner I ever attended, with Haley Wickenheiser. He’s really the premier sports speaker on the circuit right now, and is close to retiring so we were glad to be able to have him here.”

Hull said he had never been to this part of Saskatchewan, but he said he likes to be able to give back to organizations around the country.

“I love to come and help raise money for charities,” he said. “It’s my first time here and it’s a beautiful part of the country.”

Makowsky said he was happy to attend this event, and even though he was born and raised in the province, it was his first time visiting Meadow Lake. He said he felt fortunate to share tales from his career

“It was a lot of fun for me to be able to speak here,” he said. “Small city Saskatchewan people are just so great. It’s a great pleasure to interact with them.”

He said that he’s happy to interact with Rider fans from all over the province, and that he is very thankful for his time with the club, especially since he grew up in the province.

“It’s part of the culture of Rider Nation, people care,” he said. “I was very lucky to be able to play in Saskatchewan, and football matters so much in our province.”

He also said that he was really happy to attend a Kinsmen-related event. The Meadow Lake club just took an award home last week from their convention – they were the title top fundraising club in the province, an honour they shared with the local Kinette Club as well. 

“Everyone knows the Kinsmen in Saskatchewan, especially for their great work with Telemiracle,” said Makowsky. “That award is sure something to be proud of; certainly quite a mark for this crew.”

Two high school sports awards were also given out, one to local high school curler Bethany Lennea and football player Bryan Klassen.

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath