The 2024 Alberta Winter Games in Grande Prairie are officially less than a year away. They will open on February 16, 2024.
An event was held Thursday to celebrate being one year out from the games. At the event, Chair Michael Hussey said the board is hoping to encourage more of the community to come on as sponsors and volunteers.
“So going forward with our budget, we have about $230,000 that we require from sponsorships now at a lower level and that is part of what today is; we are hoping some potential sponsors will be here and look at opportunities that we have.”
The overall games budget is $2.1 million and most of it is coming from municipal and provincial grants. So far the games board has received $700,000 in total from the City of Grande Prairie, the County of Grande Prairie, and the Municipal District of Greenview. That includes a $400,000 commitment from the city, $200,000 from the county, and $100,000 from the MD.
Games Manager Lisa Kerkhof says another sponsorship option is to sponsor a specific sport.
“We are getting funding for sure, but we are always looking, so for any businesses out there that are looking to donate, we are definitely asking for sponsorships. You can sponsor in all kinds of denominations and in any way that people can help with.”
In addition to sponsorships, at least 1500 volunteers are also needed. It’s expected that around 7,000 people will be coming to the games from across Alberta, with roughly 2,500 to 3,000 participants. Hussey notes they will benefit from having people who also worked the 2018 Alberta Summer Games in Grande Prairie.
Co-Chair of Friends of the Games, a group of individuals and businesses invested in the success of the event, Lindsey McNeil adds that they are looking forward to preparing for another large-scale event in the city, following shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think the biggest challenge that we are going to face is, it’s been a few years where we didn’t have the opportunity to host a large-scale event like this, so it’s getting the community back into that community spirit and excited about being able to do that again.”
People who are interested in volunteering can email [email protected] to sign up or head online.