Save the date! This year's Fuel Good Day is set for Tuesday, September 17, offering residents in Estevan, Carlyle, and Oxbow the opportunity to support their local communities while fueling up. Southern Plains Co-op will donate 10 cents per litre sold at its gas bars, with proceeds from each location going directly to a local organization: the Estevan Early Years Family Resource Centre, the Carlyle Curling Club, and the Oxbow Rink. The money raised in each community stays there, ensuring local organizations benefit directly from the support.
For the Oxbow Rink, the funds raised from Fuel Good Day will go toward a new ice plant—an essential piece of equipment needed to maintain ice for hockey, curling, and other winter activities.
Becky Panter, Secretary-Treasurer of the Oxbow Rink Board, was thrilled when she found out they had been selected as Oxbow’s beneficiary for the event. “When I got that e-mail, I was so happy,” Panter shared. “I emailed the board right away... I was absolutely pumped.”
The rink serves as a central hub in Oxbow, hosting minor hockey, figure skating, public skating, and more. It’s a space where people of all ages gather during the winter months. However, the aging ice plant needs replacing, and the board is working to raise around $600,000 to fund the project.
"Chase the Ace has been a big one," Panter explained, describing the efforts to raise the $489,000 already collected. "We've had a couple of fundraisers... it's a lot, but it's happening."
The importance of community support for the rink’s survival cannot be overstated. Without the new ice plant, they would have to delay or possibly forgo the upcoming season. "We should be able to give it a go this year. That's crossing fingers that the weather does not turn super nice though," Panter added, hopeful the rink can remain open while fundraising continues. However, if the rink is forced to close, the community would have to rely on nearby facilities, like the rink in Alameda, which is already scheduling ice times for its own programs.
Panter expressed heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of community support and acknowledged the significant role the Southern Plains Co-op will play in their fundraising efforts. “When I was told how much we had to raise, my eyes got really, really big,” she said. With Fuel Good Day just around the corner, Panter is hopeful the event will help close the fundraising gap. “I’d love to thank the people of Oxbow and the surrounding area for their support in helping us raise this money,” she said, also noting her appreciation for the Southern Plains Co-op’s choice to support the rink.
Alongside Fuel Good Day, the rink is also raffling three signed jerseys from Oxbow native and NHL player Tanner Jeannot, with all proceeds going toward the ice plant fund. Every litre of gas and every coffee purchased on September 17 will bring the rink one step closer to reaching its goal.