It’s garage sale season again and a group of Morinville teachers is hoping to capitalize on the thrifty treasure hunting in support of a charity bike ride.
The Dragon Ladies are a group from the Morinville Public Elementary School but don’t let their name fool you.
“It’s actually not all ladies this year,” explained team member Monique Webb. “We did the bike tour last year with four teachers because we only had four teachers! This year we have a bigger staff so we’ve recruited more of them to join us.”
The secular school is a new fixture on the educational scene in the town where formerly there were only Catholic schools.
The group was originally four women who participated in the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s annual MS Bike Tour in 2012. Now the team includes principal Wayne Rufiange and teacher Ryan Olson but they kept the name for the sake of continuity and because it sounded pretty cool. Also, the school’s mascot is a dragon.
Their garage sale is an attempt to rally the community behind them by modeling it after the Gish Baby Sale and giving everyone a chance to set up a table.
Webb said no one should be excluded from the sale because multiple sclerosis is a disease that can affect anyone. The group’s philosophy behind the bike tour is about showing how everyone’s in the same boat, so to speak.
“Everybody knows somebody with MS. We were just looking for ways to come together as a staff,” Webb said. “We wanted to try something that serves multiple purposes. It’s a staff-bonding event. It also promotes a healthy lifestyle to all of our students. We wanted to do something to show them that you can take on incredible challenges even if you’re not an Olympic athlete, if just a regular person.”
“It doesn’t matter as long as you’re out there and you’re trying your best.”
She added that Alberta also has a higher incidence of MS with women than anywhere else in North America.
The group’s goal is to rent out 50 tables and raise $1,000 from the event.
Anyone who wants to support the team directly can visit www.msbiketours.ca and search for “Dragon Ladies.” The team has eight team members who are all looking for support, half of whom have no sponsors raised as of last Friday.
The money made from table rentals goes toward the MS Society (tax receipts provided) but all sales go to their sellers.
The MS Society is the only national voluntary organization in Canada that supports both research into the disease and services for people who have MS, including their families and caregivers too.
The event takes place on Saturday, April 27 from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the gymnasium. Morinville Public Elementary is located at 10020 101 Ave. in Morinville. Admission is $5 for those who arrive before 9:30 a.m. and $2 for everyone after that. Kids under 16 get in for free.
The MS Bike Tour takes place on the weekend of June 8 and 9. It’s a grueling 185 kilometres from Leduc to Camrose and back again.
Any person, business or community group that wishes to purchase a table for the sale can contact Webb at [email protected].
People who want to participate more directly in local events that support the society can take in the Enerflex MS Walk, taking place on Sunday, April 28 at 10 a.m. The event has three levels for different abilities and interests, with 3-, 5- and 10-kilometre distances.
Those who are interested can contact Caitlin Chalmers at 780-440-8773, or via email at [email protected]. More details about the walk can be found at www.mswalks.ca.
