Annual summer events, fundraisers in Kamloops moving online to avoid cancellation

This past weekend (June 7), the Kamloops Kidney Walk moved from its scheduled date in September to join forces with Alberta and B.C & Yukon foundation walks in June.

Gregg Drinnan has been involved in organizing the Kamloops Kidney Walk and the local Kidney Support Group for years, and says they knew having an in-person event wouldn’t be possible this year. Given the immunocompromised people the foundation supports, Drinnan says it wouldn’t have been a safe option to bring everyone out for a large gathering.

“It’s tough to social distance or physical distance when you’ve got 100 people walking at various speeds by the trail at Mac Island, so we just decided it wasn’t going to happen.”

As such, the event took an online route this year, and so far the Kamloops walk page has raised nearly $10,000. Drinnan says that’s about half of what is normally raised, but it was expected to be that way.

“We’re quite pleased. I mean there’s a lot of businesses, a lot of small businesses and a lot of people who just aren’t in a position to give. I know they’d like to, but they just can’t so we’re quite thrilled with where we’re at.”

The website will be open all summer for donation collection, which can be accessed here.

Walk to End ALS (June 20)

The upcoming Walk to End ALS is following the virtual trend, with an online event planned in Kamloops for June 20.

Walk Coordinators Laurie Birk and Tara Lyster say participants can sign up online and join in on a live stream for the day-of.

“On June 20, what we’re going to do is have one big Zoom meeting,” explains Birk, “and get everybody who has registered as a team or individual to click on the Zoom meeting. We’re going to have a virtual warm-up that (is going to include) a few words about ALS and get everyone pumped up, just like we would if we were down at Riverside Park.”

Between economic impacts to households and businesses, and the lack of in-person capabilities, Lyster says donation amounts leading up to the event aren’t as high as previous years.

“We’re not surprised because of the situation that’s going on. We’re hoping in the next few weeks as teams start to register online and we get a bit more information out there, that it’ll start to come up a bit.”

The web fundraising page will be active throughout the summer, so donations will be accepted at any time.

To access the Kamloops Walk to End ALS event page for registration and donation, click here.

Kamloops PRIDE Parade / PRIDE week (August 14-16)

Kamloops PRIDE recently announced the fourth annual parade will be cancelled, but PRIDE President Nicole Stanchfield says a series of online events will be held mid-August for PRIDE weekend.

“We still encourage the City of Kamloops and the downtown businesses to decorate their storefronts. Hang flags, get creative, because we’re hosting the fourth annual window display contest. That’s one of the few things that will stay the same,” Stanchfield says. “Seeing the community support in Kamloops is really amazing, and having that support visible can really make a difference in someone’s day.”

Stanchfield notes last year there were nearly 1,500 registered marchers, and they hope people who were looking forward to the parade will take part in the online offerings.

“We’re excited to be hosting an online dance, a drag show, drag bingo, and a mini-version of the community summit that we hosted earlier in the year. These events we offer for free, although we will be gratefully accepting donations. We’re going to be using platforms such as Zoom and Twitch, so we encourage people to download those apps if they don’t already have them, and follow Kamloops PRIDE.”

On the positive side, Stanchfield says they hope the online option will be appealing for those who normally couldn’t afford to travel to another city for PRIDE, or felt uncomfortable with the crowds of a traditional parade.

For more information about this year’s events, and how to get involved with Kamloops PRIDE, click here to access their Facebook page.

Kamloops Daybreak Rotary Ribfest (Raffle draw September 11, Rib giveaway August 9-11)

As well in August, the Kamloops Daybreak Rotary Ribfest won’t be hosting the thousands of people that normally flock to Riverside Park.

Daybreak Rotary’s Bryce Herman says the fundraiser is sticking to online, and in-person raffle ticket sales, alongside a contest to win rib meat. (For a full prize list, and to access the Kamloops Rotary Ribfest website, click here.)

Raffle tickets are $5 each, or $100 for a book, and can be purchased online, or in-person through Kamloops Insurance, Grocery People, Little River Boatworld, and eventually, regional Interior Savings Credit Union branches.

“What we’re really finding is the appetite to do sales online has changed dramatically. If you were asking me five years ago how do I feel about doing it, I would have said I think I still want that personal face-to-face contact and connection. But over the last few months and other raffles and other draws, I’ve found that the uptake is huge,” Herman notes. “Now, whether it’s because we have a captive audience that’s working from home could have a bearing on it, there’s no doubt about it.”

This year, Herman says Ribfest is also hosting a rib giveaway to win raw meat for cooking at your own home. Participants can enter by sending in a written or video submission explaining something they’ve done to support people over the pandemic.

“We just want to see what you’ve done to serve your community and give back. We will take all of those submissions, and the top 15 will be awarded a case of ribs that is sponsored by Grocery People. So you get to do RibFest at home.”

Herman adds that the money raised through Ribfest primarily goes to seniors and youth programs throughout Kamloops, and that will be the case this year as well.

While 2020 summer events won’t be the usual format, organizers say they hope the spirit to give, and participate will bring supporters back when the pandemic is over, and gathering is possible.

by Dylana Kneeshaw

Annual summer events, fundraisers in Kamloops moving online to avoid cancellation

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