National Puzzle Day occurs on Jan. 29 and the Altona & Area Family Resource Centre (AAFRC) is hosting an event to commemorate it a few days early.
AAFRC’s second annual Puzzle Palooza fundraiser takes place Friday, Jan. 19 from 7-9 p.m. at École Elmwood School and promises to be just as challenging and fun as last year’s competition.
Each four-person team will be given two hours to complete the same 750-piece jigsaw puzzle. The team who gets the most done will be the winners.
AAFRC coordinator Nina Edbom-Kehler says last year’s event was a very close competition, but one team—made up of Loren Braul, Steve and Joanna Reimer, and Shauna Hiebert—managed to claim victory with 441 pieces of a 1,000-piece puzzle remaining after two hours of puzzling. They are on the registration list again this year to defend their title.
The 2023 palooza raised just shy of $1,000 for the AAFRC, which offers free early childhood education programs for local families. They’re hoping to surpass that total this year.
“Being a non-profit, every little bit helps,” Edbom-Kehler says. “We are grateful for the grants, but usually those are for physical things. It’s nice to raise funds for things you can’t find grants for, like wages or events.
“Altona seems to be a town full of puzzlers. And this is a great way to showcase what AAFRC is all about.”
Edbom-Kehler says that they decided to go with fewer pieces this time around due to feedback from participants.
“This year we are hoping for a completed puzzle by the end of the night,” she says. “It’s such a fun fundraiser to set up and we generate some extra funds via the rainbow auction. The snacks and refreshments add to the fun portion.”
“Similar to last year, we have purchased the exact same puzzle for all teams, have them wrapped so nobody can see them ahead of time to gain any type of edge from another team. The teams come in, they pick their lucky table, and then at 7 p.m. sharp, they open them up and get going.”
The registration fee for each four-person team is $100. There are limited spots available, so pre-register via email to aafrc1998@gmail.com as soon as possible.
