Creighton Lodge celebrated a record-breaking night on Saturday, with more than 450 people gathering to support the seniors' residence's ambitious kitchen renovation project.
The April 26 event, held at the curling arena, drew the largest crowd in Creighton Lodge’s fundraising history, leaving organizers feeling deeply moved.
"We had over 450 people in attendance, and it was just a fabulous night," said Shelly Veroba, manager of Creighton Lodge. "It was our largest fundraiser to date."
With a combination of fundraising efforts leading up to the event, donations throughout the evening, and additional contributions since, Creighton Lodge is on track to raise $200,000. Once all expenses are covered, they expect to net approximately $175,000 toward their $1.5-million kitchen project.
The evening featured a performance by Moose Jaw-based band The Unkulas and a highly successful live auction, which alone raised $52,150.
One of the night’s standout moments came during the auction’s final item — a "dessert of the month" package, baked in the Creighton Lodge kitchen. Initially sold for $5,000, it was rebid four more times, ultimately bringing in $20,000. Several donors also stepped forward with additional $5,000 contributions, showing the community’s deep commitment to the project.
"The community support that we received this time honestly brought tears to my eyes," Veroba said. "In 2011, our first fundraiser had just 90 people. To see 455 people attend in 2025 was amazing."
The fundraiser is part of a larger, long-term effort. Creighton Lodge has been planning the kitchen expansion for four to five years, with rising costs making the project even more critical.
"The new kitchen is going to give us the capacity to start feeding more people, not just in the city of Estevan but even those living on acreages or in nearby towns," Veroba said.
The kitchen expansion will enable Creighton Lodge to offer meal delivery, pickup service, freezer meals, and potentially dine-in options. Currently, there’s a waiting list of more than 250 people.
"We want to make sure we feed as many seniors as we can," Veroba said, sharing the story of one woman who now visits the Lodge daily for supper because of the welcoming environment and quality meals.
The support from the community continues to grow. The Prairie Prime Junior Stock Club has selected Creighton Lodge as its charity of choice this year and will direct proceeds from its June 27 charity steer auction to the project.
After a night full of music, laughter and generosity, Creighton Lodge staff are tired but thrilled.
"Everything that has happened in the last three months has been phenomenal," Veroba said. "We’re very excited that we had our fundraiser — tired, but excited — and we’re looking forward now to having our kitchen built."