Monsanto's "Imagine a Better House" Community Curling Club Improvement contest.
The Steinbach Curling Club took home second prize in Monsanto’s “Imagine a Better House” Community Curling Club Improvement contest.
14 curling clubs from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba were awarded cash grants to improve their curling clubs. The Manitou Curling Club in Manitou, Manitoba was awarded this year’s $10,000 grand prize winner of Monsanto Canada’s “Imagine a Better House” Community Curling Club Improvement contest.
Three secondary prizes of $5,000 each went to curling clubs in Steinbach, Manitoba; Benson, Alberta; and the Duchess Curling Club in Duchess, Alberta. The Steinbach curling club ran a close 2nd to Manitou after wowing the judges with their creative YouTube video titled “Imagine there’s no curling!” that featured the entire club’s story sang to the tune of Imagine by John Lennon.
Ten other curling clubs took home cash prizes of $2,000 to assist with a wide array of improvement projects at their local clubs.
All applications received between Oct. 31, 2010 and Jan. 31, 2011 were reviewed by an independent panel of judges that included: Cathy Bowman, account executive with ProMar Management Services; Chris Hamblin, a farmer from southern Manitoba; and Trish Jordan, public affairs director with Monsanto Canada.
“It was another very difficult year for the judging panel as we poured over more than 100 applications for the grant money,” said Jordan. “We feel this program is one way we can make a positive contribution to the rural communities that have helped us be successful. There are so many rural communities in need and the curling club is such an important gathering point for those who live in small, rural communities, we really wish we could help everyone.”
Monsanto launched its “Imagine a Better House” Community Curling Club program in November 2007 with the aim of assisting small-town curling clubs in Western Canada with local improvement projects. Applicants were required to provide information about their club, the community in which it resides and why the curling club was in need of assistance. When this year’s funding of $45,000 is combined with cash awards given out since 2008, Monsanto has been able to provide over $235,000 in cash awards to 84 different rural community clubs across the Prairies.
“We really appreciate the time all the clubs took to share their stories and certainly would encourage them to watch for details about next year’s program which we anticipate will be made available in late 2011,” said Jordan.
