Three Major sponsors for the 36th Annual Canadian Student Leadership Conference; CSLC 2020 鈥楩rom the Roots Up鈥�, to be hosted in Yorkton next September were announced today.
The event 鈥渋s set to pay homage to where it all began, the small community of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, right here in the Land of Orange, Home of the Raiders, the Yorkton Regional High School,鈥� said Alex Hodgson, one of seven student co-chairs for the conference.
The conference will in essence be returning to its inaugural roots, explained co-chair Brady Bjornerud.
鈥淲ith the start of a new month today, the end of a harvest season, it is fitting that next year at this time we will welcome students and advisors from all across our country to the parkland during harvest,鈥� he said of next year鈥檚 event.听
鈥淚t is an industrious, collaborative and busy time of year. When the grain is in the bins, farmers feel a great sense of accomplishment and that they have done something of great value for the world. Along with clear skies and warm sun, there are always machinery breakdowns, bad weather and unforeseen challenges that arise, but no farmer faces challenges alone. When adversity presents itself, neighbors have always come to help. It is a tradition that neighbours drop what it is that they are doing and set their own needs aside to help get the harvest in.听
鈥淎lthough farms have gotten bigger and farm families fewer, the energy and collaboration, the leadership and sacrifice that farming requires continues to live on in the spirit of our Saskatchewan communities. It is that energy and leadership that has made Yorkton and the Yorkton Regional High School a great place for families and young people to be. It is the reason that CSLC 2020 is coming home.鈥�
The first leadership conference was hosted by the school.
So the 2020 conference will be a time to reflect on the event鈥檚 past and look ahead, said co-chair Laura Gillis.
鈥淛ust as our great country of Canada was built on the backs of hardworking young men and women who came to this land to start anew, our theme 鈥楩rom the Roots Up鈥� allows us to take a reflective look back at the roots of the conference, and where it is headed,鈥� she said.
And that process is being made possible by sponsors.
鈥淭oday we would like to make three special acknowledgements based on the hard work of our sponsorship committee and some partnerships they have built within the City of Yorkton,鈥� said Gillis. 鈥淭here are two levels of sponsorship we are recognizing today; the first is a Premier Sponsorship at $20,000 and the second level of sponsorship is two major sponsors at $10,000. We are proud to share that Grain Millers is our Premier Sponsor, and Potzus Limited and the Royal Bank of Canada are Major Sponsors.鈥�
Co-chair Anara Morrison took to the podium to thank Grain Millers.
鈥淕rain Millers mission is 鈥榯o make good things for and with good people鈥�,鈥� she related.听
鈥淛ust as our conference started off as a small project and has grown into something quite massive 36 years later, Grain Millers started off as a small oat milling company in Oregon back in 1986.听
鈥淭oday Grain Millers is a leading international agri-business with diversified interests in whole grain manufacturing and merchandising, organic and conventional consumer food products, and the import and export of commodities.鈥�
Morrison also explained that not only is Grain Millers sponsoring the conference at the $20,000 level, but they have tapped into one of their sub companies called 鈥楴orthern Gold Foods鈥� which is known for their breakfast bars, and are going to sponsor one of our snack breaks with 1200 of these granola cereal bars.
It was co-chair Zane Chopik who took a moment to talk about Potzus Limited.
鈥淧otzus Ltd is one of Saskatchewan鈥檚 largest civil construction companies,鈥� he said. 鈥淓stablished in 1966 we are a second generation family owned and operated business. They provide top quality work to the Government of Saskatchewan, various municipalities, First Nations and the private sector.
鈥淒ay-to-day operations include excavation, earth moving, site development, aggregate production, and paving.听
鈥淭hey are very proud of our community and have been actively contributing for many years. In the last five years they have donated to more than 20 organizations in and around the Yorkton Community.
鈥淲e are happy and appreciative of their major sponsorship donation towards this conference coming in at $10,000.鈥�
In the case of the Potzus donation it will be used for a specific aspect of the upcoming conference said Chopik.
鈥淭hey are sponsoring one of our Key Note Speakers, Mellisa Hollingsworth,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ellisa, represented Canada at the Olympics, and was the first Canadian to receive an Olympic Medal in the sport of Skeleton... She also has competed in Amazing Race Canada and I can鈥檛 wait to hear her speak at our conference next fall.
The Royal Bank contribution is being made as part of the RBC Future Launch, said co-chair Brooklyn Koroll.
鈥淩BC Future Launch is focusing on four opportunities to help youth; get experience, grow their network, gain new skills and enhance their mental well-being.听 MGI is an experiential, training and development company specializing in building teams, developing leaders, and inspiring developing organizations,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭his consulting organization transforms the clients through powerful workshop experiences making them face challenges and build skills to problem solve. One of the main skills hinges on dialogue and communication between team members. When teams communicate, they enhance relationships, take action, and build on personal accountability.
鈥淭hese workshop experiences build trust and respect in the process.听 Bringing in this company to train all of our delegates will cost upwards of $40,000. We will be using the $10,000 from RBC Future Launch towards this purpose.鈥�
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