STOUGHTON - Alanna Threinen is the activities director at the New Hope Pioneer Lodge (NHPL) in Stoughton, and she is always hosting events for the residents. Most recently, it was in celebration of all the fathers at the home.
On June 16, a family barbecue was held at the building. The event started early in the afternoon, as residents and guests gathered to listen to the music from the Caragana Ramblers who are from Forget. They have often come to the lodge to entertain the people.
Weeks prior to the event, Threinen looked for donations to hold a silent auction. She had tables filled with auction items which were also posted on social media for people to bid on. They had support from those who could not attend or who were just wanting to support the lodge. As always, many last-minute bids came in, for those much-wanted items.
The auction began on Saturday morning and ran until Sunday evening, when all the bids were tabulated and winners were announced.
These fundraisers are extremely important to the lodge, as the funds help to pay for crafts for the residents or outings for coffee and snacks, or to order in pizza. These events are not covered by the government.
According to Threinen, the government no longer gives money to do these things and the amount was not great. So far, they have not found a grant to help cover the cost of these events, so the fundraisers are a way to gain funds to help the residents get out and about for some fun activities.
While the residents were being entertained with some golden oldies tunes, the kitchen staff was busy preparing the meal.
Several joined in singing when they recognized a tune they knew, such as You are my Sunshine or Let me be your Teddy Bear.
Halfway through the afternoon, coffee, tea or juice was served to keep everyone hydrated so they could sing along.
With the high winds the event had to be held indoors, which did not slow down the event at all. People were eager to bid and keep things going.
According to the staff, they had five new residents from Regina. They were placed at the lodge as the homes in Regina are full, and they were welcomed to join in on the fun that day.
Around 60 people attended the day, which included the residents.
Threinen was incredibly pleased with the auction, as it raised well over $2,000 and donations were still coming in the following day, so a total amount was not available at press time.
For many, New Hope Pioneer Lodge is the last home they will have and Threinen and the staff at the lodge want to make this an enjoyable time by offering residents the best care and events that they can enjoy, such as Bingo and the Obei machine.
Threinen is grateful and thanks all the businesses and individuals that donated to the silent auction to make it such a successful day. She feels that this really makes a difference in the lives of the residents.
