Carmacks Wheel Barrow Association donates cheque

Photo by Jon Molson

The village of Carmacks continued its proud tradition of donating to charitable causes Thursday, hosting a cheque presentation to the Canadian Cancer Society. 
The event was put by the Carmacks Wheel Barrel Association for the organizations first-ever Annual Relay for Cancer, which was held back in June.

The goal of the relay was to raise $1,000, but the final total came to an incredible $4,738.
“The village of Carmacks really out did themselves,“ said John Laughlin, the president of the Carmacks Wheel Barrel Association. “It was very successful.

Hopefully, when we do it again next year we’ll have more teams now that more people know what it’s about.“
Eight teams participated in the relay and collected pledges from a number of communities in and outside of the Yukon.
All of the team’s that participated in the wheelbarrow relay were from Carmacks and the majority of them were made up of three people.
The event began in the morning and showcased the community as a whole with the course working in all of the streets in the village of Carmacks.
All adults in the relay pushed, while the individuals in the wheelbarrow had to be between the ages of five and 12 years old.
Shoes also had to be worn by all participants in the relay, while the youth in the wheelbarrows were required to wear a helmet.
The course was approximately 12-km and featured 10 checkpoints. The pushers switched off with their teammates at each checkpoint.
The relay began at the Carmacks recreation centre and worked its way to a park in the village where there was a mandatory 30 minute stop period.
After the mandatory stop at the park, participants then turned around and headed back to the the Recreation Centre, which concluded the relay.
The Wheelbarrow Relay wasn’t timed and Laughlin said he didn’t want the event to turn into a race.
There was also no entry fee to participate in the event and all of the proceeds were generated through pledges, an auction, a BBQ and a 50/50 draw.
The BBQ was held after the conclusion if the relay and raised around $120, while the auction brought in around $100. Some of the items auctioned off included a bag with a gift certificate from Kal Tire, which was valued at $100, as well as a thermos and a hat.
Another gift bag included a number of different items donated by Toyota, including a coffee mug, a hat, a t-shirt.

Every member who took part in the event was given a T-shirt and a button.
A trophy for the most pledges generated was also awarded at the event. The winning team of Gloria and Cody Cashin and Klint Wymart brought in an incredible $1,120.
A wide variety of communities and provinces contributed to the success of the wheelbarrow relay, including Whitehorse, Haines Junction, Yellowknife, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario, but the majority of the funds raised came from Carmacks.
Laughlin said it was important to hold the cheque presentation in the village of Carmacks.
“The relay took place here and the people of Carmacks should be proud of what they have achieved,“ he said. “The village of Carmacks, which is roughly 500 people, raises a lot of money for charity and they need to be applauded. They should be happy.“
Elaine Wyatt, the mayor of Carmacks, attended the cheque presentation. Wyatt walked with her daughter, pushing a stroller instead of a wheelbarrow. She said the cause was what attracted her to the event.
“I think it’s a good idea to raise money for cancer,“ she said. “Everybody at one point or another I think is affected by cancer, whether it’s somebody you know or yourself or family members. I think it is a very worthwhile cause.“
She said the event went really well.
“Considering it was (the Wheel barrel Association’s) first attempt I would have to say it was a great success,“ Wyatt said. “I think on the whole all the people that came, they all had a good time.“
Wyatt said she wasn’t surprised by how much money was raised at the relay.
“I think people in the community are really giving,“ she said. “It’s just a matter of asking them and people will do what they can do.“
Rayanne Weaver is an emergency medical responder in Carmacks and volunteered her time to help out at the relay. Weaver pushed a wheelbarrow, which was filled with medical supplies. She said she proud about the relay being held in Carmacks.
“It’s really neat because it’s such a small community and the way that everybody comes together is amazing; whether it’s for happy times or sad times,“ Weaver said.

“I was shocked when they told us the total. They did really good. It’s an amazing place to live.“
Weaver, who also volunteered her time at the Yukon River Quest and Yukon Quest, said she hopes there will be more community events held in Carmacks that bring people together.
Scott Kent, the Yukon regional manager with the Canadian Cancer Society, said events like the cheque presentation make you proud to be a Yukoner.
“The Yukon is the highest per capita fund-raiser in our division and it’s events like this that make that happen.“
He said there is a reason why small community events like the wheelbarrow relay are so successful.
“Yukoners are very generous right across the board, but when it’s a smaller community like this they can take ownership of an event,“ Kent said. “They compete with other events and other things that are going on in the Yukon, but within their community they can take an awful lot of pride and you can tell Carmacks is like any other community in the Yukon. They are really proud of where they live.“
Kent said this has been a record-breaking year for the Canadian Cancer Society in the Yukon.
“I think the success in the fund-raising is feeding off of the success in the lobbying and being very vocal on issues like prevention and the support that we were are offering preventing cancer, supporting people that are living with cancer and funding some of the best research in the world.“
The sponsors that helped make the wheelbarrow relay possible included Whitehorse Motors, Mic Mac Toyota, Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, Vallard Construction,Wal Mart, Superstore, Carmacks Hotel, Carmacks Recreation Centre-Village of Carmacks, Whitehorse Beverages, Challenger Geomatics and Lund Boats Manitoba-Andrew Klopak