We are writing this letter of thanks to all the amazingly generous people of Whitehorse and Yukon residents as a whole.
As most of you know, after the fire at the Canada Games Centre, the Whitehorse Rapids Speed Skating Club was faced with the overwhelming task of having to replace our safety mats.
Members of Yukon Speed Skating quickly devised a fundraising plan and the response from our northern community has been unbelievable!
Whether it was people responding privately, through their businesses, sports and community organizations or by buying a hotdog and cookie at fundraisers, we were able to raise over $60,000. We also received $25,000 from YTG Sport and Rec and $20,000 from the Community Development Fund.
We find the generosity of the North quite overwhelming. We truly believe if we lived in the South we would not have been able to raise more than $100,000 in under three months.
We wanted to let everyone know that thanks to you we are back on the ice at Takhini Arena and recently hosted a very successful three-day camp with the first instalment of new mats. We anticipate our first order of mats to be completed by Christmas and we will have all we need in time for the Arctic Winter Games in March. We also wanted to let you know we have kept your money in the North and are having our mats made locally.
On behalf of all speedskaters who come out to skate in our beautiful facility we want to say thank you for being true northerners and opening your hearts (and wallets) to our cry for help.
Laini Klassen, Yukon Amateur Speed Skating Association
Malcolm Taggart, Whitehorse Rapids Speed Skating Club
Whitehorse