SAIF hosting gold medal dinner

Local sports heroes Shannon Szabados and Marc Kennedy both won gold medals at the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver and tonight they're bringing their heavy metal to a benefit dinner and auction for the benefit of a local organization.

St. Albert Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) is hosting the event, ostensibly for reasons of fundraising and awareness boosting, but it really seems like the closest thing to a ticker tape parade that we are going to get for these two.

"We've never been able to officially thank our Olympians in some large capacity," stated Doreen Slessor, executive director at the agency. "We've had a great response from council and the chamber and other community members to get that chance."

She mentioned that organizers tried to get Meghan Mikkelson on the billet as well but unfortunately she is out of town.

The evening will have just about everything for the sports lover. Aside from being in the same room as these new legends, there will be autographed jerseys and shirts, plus other sports memorabilia up for auction. Each of the tickets was printed as a souvenir, perfect for getting those key autographs after the dinner. A local Olympic torchbearer is also bringing one of the torches for all to see.

It's a family-friendly event and Slessor herself is bringing along some starry-eyed youngsters with their eyes on celebrities and their hardware.

"My kids are so thrilled that they're going to meet Marc and Shannon and touch a gold medal and get their autographs!"

In addition to this event, SAIF is also hosting its 12th annual Charity Golf Classic on Tuesday, July 13 at Twin Willows Golf Club. Slessor encouraged sponsors and players to contact her to help out with this 'good walk spoiled' for a great and worthy cause. She can be reached at 780-460-2195.

Odds of winning prizes improved

If you have a ticket to Sunday's big fundraiser then you have your eyes on the prize and you'll probably have your hands on it too. As organizer Carrie Kuzik puts it, "there are more prizes than people."

Ticket sales are pretty low for the third annual Fun Money Casino and Silent Auction put on by the Hunter's Fight for a Cure Foundation. That's the bad news. The good news is for those who do come out to support this worthy cause. There are dozens of great door prizes and auction items including sports, entertainment, tool sets, jewelry, hotel stays and restaurant gift certificates. The big prize is the VIA Rail round trip for two to Jasper with a two night stay at the Mount Robson Inn.

Advance tickets can be purchased for $25 or at the door for $30. All funds go to support the Hematology and Child Life programs at the Stollery Children's Hospital. Visit www.hunterscure.ca for more information.