An initiative that helped make it possible for local families to enjoy the midway at the Corn and Apple Festival will likely become an annual effort.
The idea of collecting donations to distribute free wristband passes for the Wonder Shows midway was started previously by former mayor Brandon Burley, and a local couple helped take up the initiative this year in conjunction with the 500 Stephen community centre.
Allison and Reg Braun of Gallery Wealth Management picked up on it after reading a post on the In the Know Morden Facebook group that wondered if it would be done again.
“[Burley] didn’t do it because he was the mayor. He did it because he just saw a need,” said Allison Braun. “I thought, ‘You don’t need to be the mayor to do something like this—anybody could do it.’”
Hooking up with 500 Stephen was a vital part of the effort, as it was able to help connect with families that might not have been able to otherwise afford the cost of midway passes.
People were encouraged to either e-transfer money or donate in person at Gallery Wealth Management, and interested families were able to sign up at 500 Stephen to be eligible for the draw to award the wristband passes.
Braun said everyone who came in to donate was excited to be able to help out.
“It was just lovely to see. So many people pitched in, to the point where we had more tickets than we actually had people sign up at 500 Stephen,” she said. “We had people donating money past the point where we said this was the cutoff for donations … we had already purchased the tickets.”
The campaign brought in $5,720 in all and also got support from Wonder Shows, allowing them to give away over 150 wristbands.
“It was so successful. The community was so supportive, and I think people who received the tickets were so thankful,” said Braun, who noted they believe a vast majority of the recipients were from Morden.
“The whole thing was amazing. It was so fun to be a part of it … and we’re definitely going to do it again next year, but we’ll tweak it a bit,” she said. “We’re going to do things a little bit differently next year … having learned this year, we’ll do it better next year.”
Braun noted they had been told other communities are talking about doing something similar in conjunction with their festivals.
“I think it has sort of sparked a movement in communities around the province,” she said.
“It was an amazing sight to see. Our community is just like none other. I’ve always felt that Morden is a really special place … we love volunteering for our community because it’s a worthwhile place to give our time to … and I just think the people of Morden are amazing community members.”
