United Way fundraiser in Manitoba shows community spirit at the Morden Corn & Apple Festival
By Andrew Plett
The community and volunteer spirit in Morden, Manitoba, and the surrounding area is hard to match. I moved my family just outside of town a year ago, taking on the role of Enbridge’s land agent for the area. Having grown up in Oak Lake, I’ve always enjoyed the small-town atmosphere.
Morden has the beauty of its parks and mature trees, and the advantage of being just the right size to offer many of the benefits of a city while maintaining a small-town feel. My kids have adjusted well to their new surroundings and have already been active in gymnastics and dance. I can say without hesitation that this part of the world is very much alive and vibrant in its entrepreneurial mindset, as well as its community and family focus.
A prime example of how this community can come together was on display during a new event at this year’s 51st annual Morden Corn & Apple Festival – the Combine Pull.
The event was sponsored by the United Way of Morden and District. I’ve had the pleasure of serving on the local United Way board this past year. In initial meetings, the concept of a combine pull was interesting but seemed daunting, with teams of 10 competing to pull an approximately 40,000-pound machine a distance of 30 feet.
Such an event had never been done in Morden as far as we knew, and we didn’t know where to begin. Once we committed, it was a challenge to not be overwhelmed with that ‘What if this completely fails?’ feeling. And by the time we got our license to allow us to auction off the teams as part of our fundraiser, time was running thin.
We still weren’t sure how this would play out, but issue after issue was resolved as volunteers stepped up to take on various roles. A combine was lined up. Banners were designed. We secured a megaphone operator on the combine during the parade. Decorators, the local radio station, and the RM of Stanley Reeve and talented auctioneer Morris Olafson came aboard. It was incredible to see our youth representative of the board willing to help out where needed with such a positive attitude. And Terry Gibson, a fellow United Way board member, deserves a special thank you for his dedication and effort in bringing this event to fruition.
In fact, everyone came together to make it happen. Not only did it happen, it drew a great crowd, and raised over $2,500 for the local United Way. The Minnewasta Golf & Country Club donated 10 golf passes for the winning team, Garden Valley Equipment donated use of the John Deere and employee time, Enbridge donated time and sponsorship, and the Enbridge contractor working nearby, Somerville, pitched in with a $1,000 contribution.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Enbridge works hard to be a good neighbor in the communities near our operations and projects, including the Line 3 Replacement Program. Enbridge has been an ongoing supporter of the Morden Corn & Apple Festival as a Platinum Sponsor since 2009. In addition to participating in this year's inaugural United Way Combine Pull, Enbridge employees also served slices of apple pie during opening ceremonies, and took a shift husking some of the estimated 60,000 cobs of corn consumed this year.)
In the end, our Enbridge team placed a respectable third in this first-time United Way Combine Pull community event, behind only Morden Mayhem and close to the 3M team and Samsons. The winner was the Morden Fire Department.
But there’s always next year, right?
(Andrew Plett is a Right-of-Way Agent for Enbridge’s Canadian Liquids Pipelines Land Services division.)
(TOP PHOTO: Enbridge Pulls for the Morden and District United Way. Front row, from left: Tim Reimer, Joanne Bradbury, Whitney Thomas, Andrew Plett. Back row, from left: Kevin Hilhorst, Eldon Strachan, Les Scott, Janis Brooks, Tristan Firomski, Morris Olafson, Mitchell Book.)
