Concert raises more than $17K for evacuees

With evacuees from the north fleeing urgently, many are left without basic necessities.

That’s where the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), City of Prince Albert and surrounding community has come in.

A fundraiser was held at Kinsmen Park on Sunday with live performances. The PAGC accepted donations on behalf of the evacuees.

Sheryl Kimbley decided to host a fundraiser when she got a picture message from one of her employers last Sunday.

“It was her home in Montreal Lake and literally the fire was right there,” she said. “She was fleeing with whatever she could and having to leave behind a lot of her belongings and everything she knew and came to love.

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“I just thought, ‘you know what, we have a lot of musicians who want to do something so let’s pull them together.’”

Somewhere Else Pub and Grill in Saskatoon hosted a fundraiser and they were able to gather three truckloads of donated clothes and over $1,000 in one night. On Saturday night, they were in Regina at ‘The Sip’ on Albert Street. The business did a bake sale, silent auction and a steak night. With that they were able to raise $1,100.

In Prince Albert, 40-plus acts came out, travelling at their own expense from as far as Edmonton to perform for the cause.

“It just makes me really emotional,” Kimbley said. “The musicians’ love for the province of Saskatchewan has just spread like wildfire.

“How amazing is it when the human spirit comes together and we realize the importance of our forests and our people?”

The City of Prince Albert, surrounding communities, the PAGC and many musicians took the reins to make the fundraiser happen.

“Coming together and saying, ‘let’s not let it burn, let’s pray for rain and let’s see what we can do to help everyone that’s coming in,’” said Kimbley. “There’s too much pain happening right now.”

Bev’s Fish and Seafood did a fish fry and raised $500, Scotiabank donated $5,000, and CUPE local gave $1,000. Along with these, many other business and people made donations.

Kimbley said the PAGC has 38,000 plus members affected by the situation so they’ve been trying to help out as much as possible.

“We’ve been delivering groceries, we’ve been delivering treats for the kids, bottled water,” said Kimbley. “That’s where the money’s going, relief for the evacuees and making sure their time with us is as painless as possible.”

Even though the fundraisers have wrapped up, donations are still coming in, said Kimbley.

There are also some high profile people doing their part.  

Crystal Shawanda, Canadian country music artist and Juno award winner, will be doing an online concert for PAGC. The time and date has not yet been set.

Although the exact total from the fundraiser hasn’t been tallied yet since money is still coming in, so far Kimberley said it’s at around $17,000.

“I’m just very thankful for the community coming together to support,” said Kimberley. “No colours, no races, no boundaries are happening, people are just seen as a human family right now and that’s a great thing when we’re in such a tragedy.”

– with files from Lasia Kretzel

asoloducha@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alex_soloducha