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A fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees brought in a flood of donations.
Approximately 500 people gathered at the Lamont Arena Saturday (Jun. 4) morning for a pancake breakfast fundraiser in support of Ukrainians displaced by the war.
The morning kicked off with a land acknowledgment followed by a singing of O Canada. Town of Lamont mayor Kirk Perrin offered greetings on behalf of the town, Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs, and the Fort Saskatchewan & District Chamber of Commerce.
Former Alberta premier, Ed Stelmach, gave remarks after a performance by the Veselka Ukrainian Dancers.
“[We had] great support from the community,” said Lamont County reeve David Diduck. “Little concerned right at eight o’clock when nobody was coming through the door, but we gave it a little bit of time, and it worked out great.”
A passionate speech was delivered by the Consulate General of Ukraine in Edmonton as well as by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Alberta Provincial Council (UCC-APC).
Peter Tarnawsky, Lamont County's CAO, concluded the morning's activities with a powerful and touching rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem.
“Very powerful, that’s for certain.”
“He sings in a couple of Ukrainian men’s choirs, and he travels to the States and stuff. So yes, a very powerful singer. Very strong Ukrainian voice and speaker,” Diduck added.
In addition, the event was highly successful, collecting close to $10,000. Diduck said the event exceeded his and his team's expectations.
“Kudos to everybody that came here. Hopefully, the money will support local refugee families that come and settle in Lamont County or one of our urban municipalities such as Mundare, Lamont, and Andrew.”