The Emo spray park fundraising committee is thrilled to announce the donation of $10,000 by Kaemingh Fuels and Imperial Oil, making it the first “Builder” status sponsor.
David and Arnold Kaemingh committed to make a cash donation of $10,000 before construction of the spray park breaks ground—hopefully by July 1.
The spray park committee has committed to raise $150,000 in cash and in-kind sponsorship in order to build the children’s water play structure on Emo’s waterfront this summer.
“We realize that the spray park is a valuable addition to our community, and we want to make sure that it happens,” said David Kaemingh. “Children from Emo, as well as the rest of the district, will come to the park in the summer.
“The kids have fun, and their parents come to Emo—and that’s good for business,” he added.
“Our committee is hugely excited by this donation,” said chairman Lincoln Dunn. “This level of support from one of our local businesses is so gratifying, and shows how important some of our community members think this project is.
“This gives us some real momentum moving forward,” added Dunn. “We think it’s phenomenal of the Kaeminghs and Esso to be among the first major sponsors to step up, and we hope to see continued support from individuals and businesses.”
Committee vice-chair David Ogilvie echoed the sentiment.
“We have been so busy planning our ‘fun casino’ and silent auction evening this upcoming weekend that we were taken completely by surprise by this contribution by Kaemingh Fuels and Imperial Oil,” he noted.
“It’s great to be so close to $50,000 in donations, and we couldn’t be more grateful for this ‘shot in the arm.’”
Ogilvie expressed hope this kind of support carries forward to this weekend’s charity event, which is scheduled to take place Saturday (April 5) at the Emo Arena starting at 7 p.m.
The licensed event will feature both a silent and live auction, as well as fun games of chance, unique prize draws, and a dance hosted by Yowza Music Services.
He also noted they will have bus service to Fort Frances at the end of the evening, as well as rides available to the area around Emo.
Tickets for the “casino night” cost $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and are available at the Fort Frances Times and Northwoods Gallery & Gifts in Fort Frances, as well as Tompkins Hardware, Corner Closet, Village Variety, and Cloverleaf Grocery in Emo.
“We’ve got thousands of dollars in donated auction items for this Saturday night, and a whole evening of fun and fundraising planned,” enthused Dunn.
The list of items includes custom furniture, artwork, and electronics, as well as gift certificates for food, accommodations, fishing trips, and much more.
“The support from across the district for this event has been absolutely amazing,” Dunn remarked. “And our committee members have worked tirelessly to make this event happen.”
For more information on donating to the spray park, or to find out more about Saturday’s “casino night,” contact the committee at 482-2540 or via e-mail at ruralgeek@gmail.com
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
