Fundraising to get Nibinamik an ice rink

Building a synthetic ice rink in Nibinamik First Nation for the local youth is the goal of a Toronto-based organization that is partnered with 30 First Nations in northwestern Ontario.
To do so, Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win: The North-South Partnership for Children has entered the project in the Aviva Community Fund, a competition where initiatives that encourage positive change are voted on by the public in a series of online voting rounds.
Betty Lou Scholey, director of operations for Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win, said they got the idea to build a synthetic rink in the community during a consultation visit.
“We went to see the chief only to realize that they took the kids to Sioux Lookout for a hockey tournament,” Scholey recalls. “And just the kids and how they were when they got back, hearing them and the parents saying they want a better rink. It just was something that never left my mind.”
Scholey said the arena structure is built in Nibinamik, but a concrete pad must be laid and the synthetic ice itself purchased and installed. But the cost of construction materials and shipping to the northern communities would be substantial.
Scholey said there is not enough recreational activities in northern communities for the youth.
“And I thought if there is a way to get funds for projects, why not?” she said.
Entitled “For the Love of Hockey,” the Aviva Community Fund entry can be found at http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf13476. Anyone can register and vote for the project once a day until the first round ends on Oct. 15. The top 30 initiatives with the most votes will advance to the second round of voting. Aviva Insurance provides $1 million in total for the winning initiative(s).
Scholey believes that the initiative is important because sports recreation is a great way to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle, support teamwork and cooperation and bring a community together.
“We must all do what we can to enrich the lives of children and youth in our remote communities,” Scholey said.
Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win is a partnership that began in 2006 and bridges the services provided in the south to the northern communities.
“We try to broker or facilitate the resources we have in the south to get to the north,” Scholey said, adding that they are in contact with philanthropic organizations, universities and and individuals.