WAKAW — The fundraiser concert held in the Wakaw Rec Centre was an undeniable success. The concert sold out time and again as more and more people reached out for tickets, prompting the organizers Al Rybchinski and Lions member Terry Oleksyn to print more tickets until there was no room left. Over 230 people attended the show to raise money for the Wakaw Lions Food Bank. The Lions Food Bank is not affiliated with Saskatchewan Food Banks and receives no funding from any out-of-community sources. It is supplied through the efforts of the Wakaw Lions Club and the residents of Wakaw and the surrounding area.
Rybchinski said that the idea of the concert arose out of a conversation he and his wife Betty had a couple of months ago. He then began reaching out to other musician friends and pulled together an amazing cast of talent including Donny Parenteau and his daughter Julianna, the Trudel family, Carmen Robertson, Lisa Anderson, Wild and Irene Savisky, and of course Al, himself. The performers, however, did not perform in isolation with each act separate from the other, instead, they each supported and added to the performance of the others creating a well blended musical event where no one performer outshone the others.
With tickets costing $20, ticket sales alone raised over $4000, and then a very active 50/50 draw added a further nearly thousand dollars to that total. All the performers donated their time meaning that all the funds raised went to supporting the Food Bank. Additionally, people were encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to the concert and there was also a donation box available for people to make cash donations.
The support from people all over the province helped to make this the wonderfully successful event that it was.
