The Kayak for Kidsport fundraiser might be only be a few years old, but word has certainly gotten about about how much fun the annual event is.
Well over 100 participants took part in the event at the Kiwanis River Park pavilion in Wakamow Valley on Sunday morning, taking advantage of the opportunity to try out a kayak or canoe on Plaxton’s Lake and enjoying a barbecue lunch afterwards.
The highlight of the event was the Corporate Challenge canoe races which saw businesses and organizations from throughout Moose Jaw compete on two-paddler teams for the right to call themselves the Kayak for Kidsport Corporate Champion.
All told, 22 teams would take part in 2023, with the Moose Jaw Fire Department duo of Josh Striaha and Bob Halsall coming away with first place.
All in all, another wildly successful event with plenty of funds raised.
“I’m really happy with the participation level and we couldn’t have asked for a better morning,” said Kidsport Moose Jaw chair John Eberl. “They were spirited canoe races again, they were a lot of fun to watch… it was just a really successful day for us.”
The Challenge itself has seen continued growth and corporate support over the years, with an increase in entries each time around. A total of 15 took part in 2019 and 19 took to the course last year, with the increase naturally a welcome sight.
Eberl also sent out thanks to the Moose Jaw Canoe and Kayak Club for their help throughout the day.
“They really stepped up and helped out a lot more, they basically ran the races,” Eberl said. “They set the course up and had everything going tickity boo, so the races all went really well and were well organized.”
All told, Eberl hopes to see around $15,000 raised by the time everything is counted up.
“The importance of this fundraiser is huge,” he said. “Our budget is $66,000 but this is almost 20 per cent of what we raise right here… I figure it’ll get 40 or 50 kids a full-time sports program for half the year.”
Now, it’s on thinking about 2024 and ideally an even bigger and better Kayak for Kidsport.
“I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback already and it’s grown every year, so we hope it’ll keep doing the same next year,” Eberl said.
