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Issue 11
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
www.estevanmercury.ca
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
ESTEVAN’S
SOURCE FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS
Community support allows Gage Goetz to make a big donation to Saskatchewan’s children’s hospital By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
When Gage Goetz decided to sell his 4-H steer Sammy to benefit the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan, he never imagined he would be able to raise so much money. Gage, a nine-year-old member of the Outram-Madigan 4-H Club and the son of Trevor and Tammi Goetz, raised $30,000 through his efforts. The money will be directed to the children’s hospital’s cardiology department. He decided to sell Sammy to benefit the children’s hospital because Gage has already had two heart surgeries in his young life. Since Saskatchewan doesn’t have a children’s hospital, he had to go to Edmonton for the surgery. Sammy was sold for $12,000 to Certified Energy Services during the Estevan Rotary Regional 4-H Show and Sale Thursday night at the Estevan Exhibition grounds. “I thought it was great, because I thought the more money it could get, the better it could be for the hospital,” said Gage. “Then they can get better things that they need with the money.” But that wasn’t all. Moments after Sammy
Gage Goetz holds his steer Sammy while his sister Colesey Goetz looks on. Gage raised approximately $30,000 for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan. was sold, auctioneer Norm Mack from the Mack Auction Company asked Gage if he would be willing to part with the show stick and the halter. Gage agreed, and those two items were sold for $12,000 to a conglomerate of local businesses and organizations. The sale of the halter and the show stick was a surprise. It was an idea that came from other 4-H members and leaders. Gage said he initially
hope to raise $7,000 for the children’s hospital. Other people showed their support for Gage. There was a 4-H alumni showmanship competition before the show and sale that raised $1,350 for Gage’s efforts. And members of the Benson 4-H Club held a bake sale which went to Gage. And he did some fundraising of his own before the auction date. “I’d like to thank you
all for supporting me in this fundraiser,” he said. Gage said the past few weeks have been a real learning experience. “I’ve learned that you can do nice things even though you don’t have to, and you don’t need the money even though you get it from a buyer,” said Gage. He looks for ward to when Saskatchewan kids will be able to receive care closer to home, and they won’t have
to go to Edmonton or other locations for surgeries. Gage is also looking forward to when he will be able to get care in Saskatchewan, as Gage will need to have checkups for the rest of his life. Tammi Goetz marvelled at the amount of money Gage was able to raise for the hospital. “We’re very happy with the support the community has given to Gage and his
fundraising,” she said. When Gage told his parents that he wanted to raise money for other children in the province, they were very supportive of the idea. “We think it’s a wonderful thing for him to be able to give back. The journey that Gage has been on, it’s opened our eyes to a whole different world and a lot of families, and we understand how important it is to have access to top-notch medical care, and so this is just a wonderful way for him to say thank you and to give back to other kids in Saskatchewan,” Tammi said. While he has had health problems in the past, she said her son is now doing well and is an active boy. “That’s all thanks to all of the wonderful physicians and nurses and surgeons that have helped him along the way.” Stacie Lawson, the manager of development and engagement from the foundation, praised Gage and others for the work they have done to help make the children’s hospital a reality. She noted that construction on the hospital is complete, and they are on target to be open this fall. “We now have the immense task of moving in 77,000 pieces of equipment and furniture, and training 2,400 staff,” she said. A2 » NEW
Communities in Bloom judges coming next week Shannon Wanner expects Estevan will be looking great next week when two judges visit the city through the Communities in Bloom competition. Wanner, who is the horticulturalist for the City of Estevan, said the judges will be coming on July 15. A couple from Humboldt will be tasked with evaluating Estevan’s tidiness and overall appearance. “I will tour them around the city, and they look at different areas of the city,” said Wanner. “They will be looking at different parks, our greenspaces, they’ll be looking at the leisure centre and the cemetery.” Estevan is in the evaluated friends division, and will be scored on the six criteria for Communities in Bloom:
urban forestry, landscapes, floral arrangements, heritage conversation, environmental awareness and tidiness. She believes Estevan looks great now with their visit only a few days away. “I think we’re doing great on all of them,” said Wanner. “Last year we got a comment on the tidiness, so I’m looking forward to seeing what these guys think. Everybody has been working hard to keep our city clean and to make sure everything looks good and cut.” In the days before the judges arrive, the city’s staff will be focused on those six criteria. This marks the third straight year that Estevan has been entered in Communities in Bloom, and the second straight year it has been in
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the evaluated friends category. The judges come down to pay Estevan a visit and tour the different areas, based on the six criteria. They also hand out blooms in a fashion similar to the star ratings critics use to evaluate movies. But since Estevan is in evaluated friends, it doesn’t actually compete with other communities in the province or the country. Last year Estevan received a rating of three blooms, and the judges praised the city, calling Estevan a “jewel” in southern Saskatchewan. The judges, who were different from the ones who will tour Estevan this year, expressed their belief that Estevan was ready to advance to the next level in the competition. “I was quite impressed.
The Royal Heights Veterans Memorial Park and other parks in the city are expected to be looking good next week when judges through the Communities in Bloom competition visit Estevan. File photo They really enjoyed our city, and they thought we had lots to offer,” said Wanner. But the city decided to wait at least one more year before moving up, so that it could receive the feedback of
a different set of judges and to find out where Estevan still needs improvement in its appearance. Wanner hopes that Estevan residents will do their part to help the city look good
before the judges arrive. “They can make sure that the yards look nice and clean,” said Wanner. “Cut your grass, paint your fences and make sure ... there aren’t a lot of weeds in it if you can.”
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