with their horses. This first week was about getting horses and riders accustomed to the indoor arena and learning to collaborate and trust each other - including the “toilet paper game”, learning a warm-up routine and a brief classroom session in goal-setting, head - helmet measurements, and arena safety.
New role created for Walker at The Echo
BY JOAN JANZEN
The Oyen Echo is pleased to have former editor Diana Walker as a local presence for the paper. She will be at 114 Main Street (Schindel Agencies) office every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Diana can be reached at oyenecho@telus.net or by call/ text 403-664-6600. People are invited to drop in to see Diana and drop off news ideas or contribute stories.
“I can’t say no, and I can’t stop,” Diana confessed. Her interest in the newspaper
industry has a long history. “My grandfather and his brother in England were printers. The history of a community is so important, and the local newspaper do-
cuments that history.”
She became the editor of The Oyen Echo back in 1969, where she claimed the newspaper business “fits her to a T.” She has been contributing to many community organizations throughout the years, too numerous to mention, and in 2005, her efforts were recognized when she was named Citizen of the Year.
Throughout the years at The Oyen Echo, she attended numerous meetings and committees on her own time to cover events for the
local paper. Her daughter once described her mother as very home-town oriented and a great supporter and promoter of Oyen and all it has to offer.
Kate Winquist, publisher of The Oyen Echo, welcomed Diana back to The Oyen Echo, saying: “I am so pleased to have Diana contributing to The Echo. She had been the voice of the paper for many, many years, and I know that it is still her passion. Diana has been a great support to me over the last three years.”
Diana Walker
PRAIRIE ROSE POSSIBILITIES PROJECTS: REIN (Rodeo & Equine in the North) kicked
students from Warren Peers School, Oyen Public School
Central High School
Crossroads Center in Oyen
PHOTO COURTESY PRSD
Acadia Valley curling rink receives renovations
BY JOAN JANZEN
The Acadia Valley Recreation Club is always busy, whether fundraising, doing maintenance services, or providing sports for all the kids in the area. Their latest project involved both fundraising and renovations, when they had $35,000 worth of renovations done to the local curling rink.
Club President Jordan Kuhn said the club is always fundraising. “We facilitate recreation in Acadia Valley and district, looking after ball diamonds, the skating rink, as well as the curling rink,” he explained. “It’s constant fundraising to keep maintenance up on the buildings and provide sports for all the kids in the area.”
They started by painting the interior of the curling rink. “The paint job was definitely due since the last one was in the early 1980’s,” he said. “We also did the walkways with a lifetime product, which was installed by a local contractor.”
The club purchased some vinyl sheets that lay down on the ice surface. It eliminates the need for ice paint and installs quickly, with no messy paint cleanup when the season is over. In the first year, the supplier trained a half dozen rec members and community members on how to install the product. “Some other rinks have used the product, and it’s lasted 18 years,” Jordan said, so it was definitely a wise investment.
rink.
The Ladies’ Bonspiel was the first event to be held after the renovations. The club also welcomes everyone to come out and have a look at the rink at their bonspiel coming up in late February and the beginning of March.
Viva Vitality: Kindness for the Health of It!
BY MICHELLE SAUVÉ
Did you know that kindness is scientifically proven to be good for you? You’ve likely felt a wave of good feelings wash over you during a moment of kindness. There is actually a chemical reaction in your brain and body that releases “happiness hormones”.
Kindness increases oxytocin, energy, happiness, lifespan, pleasure, and serotonin. And kindness decreases pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and blood pressure. If you find it hard to believe kindness can do all of these things, you can read more about these benefits at the Random Acts of Kindness.org (RAK) website (https:// www.randomactsofkindness.org/thescience-of-kindness) or watch a great video called The Science of Kindness (youtube.com) .
The RAK website also shares that kindness is contagious. “The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to pay it forward. This means one good deed in a crowded area can create a domino effect and improve the day of dozens of people.”
This year, Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 11 to 17, and with all these amazing benefits why not make an intentional effort to participate. You might make cookies for a neighbour or shovel their sidewalk. Maybe you could start a community litter clean up or plug some parking meters about to expire. From leaving
snacks for delivery drivers to sharing a positive online review for a local business, the possibilities are endless. You can check out the RAK website for lots of simple ideas that show kindness for others, ourselves, our community, and our environment. The website offers resources for kindness at schools, at home, and at work. From lesson plans to kindness calendars and workplace assessments, there is so much helpful support. It is important to note that the lesson plans are available in 11 languages as well.
When Random Acts of Kindness Week ends, it’s hoped that you will then “Make Kindness the Norm” by continuing to intentionally spread kindness year-round. You might even consider becoming a “Raktivist” or Random Acts of Kindness activist. After completing a short questionnaire, you’ll be a part of “The RAKtivist community” who “connects passionate people to one another to share ideas and resources and celebrate kindness in everyday life.” There are Raktivists all over the world so if this is something that speaks to you, why not get involved. With all the benefits of kindness for our health and the health of others, why not spread it around like confetti! Once you throw confetti (like kindness), it spreads and sticks to everything.
Michelle Sauvé is a Health Promotion Facilitator on the Prevention Promotion Team for Addiction and Mental Health and can be contacted at michelle.sauve@ahs.ca
The Acadia Valley Recreation Club recently had $35,000 worth of renovations done to their local curling
OPINION: Using ingenuity to influence our culture
BY JOAN JANZEN
While prosecuting a robbery case, the arresting officer testified he saw the defendant from a block away. The officer’s observation of seeing someone a block away in the dark seemed irrelevant until he was asked how he could identify the defendant. The arresting officer replied, “I’d recognize my cousin anywhere!”
If someone is described as irrelevant, it means people are not paying attention to them. However, there are examples of people who were once considered irrelevant who busted out of that mould; the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy is one of those individuals.
He was the 262nd (or final) pick of the last NFL draft and was dubbed Mr. Irrelevant. Evaluators appeared to place value on what he lacked in size rather than his strengths.
Everything changed for him in week 12 when the quarterback broke his foot, opening the door for Purdy to trot onto the field. Mr. Irrelevant led the 49ers to the NFC championship and suddenly became relevant.
This transformation has been happening throughout history, and an upcoming film illustrates the metamorphosis that took place in the life of a historical hero in the movie entitled “Cabrini.” The film is produced by Angel Studios, a production company that would have been dubbed as irrelevant
six or seven years ago, but that is no longer the case.
The company’s last film, “Sound of Freedom,” made over $240 million and was watched by over 60 million people. Glen Beck spoke to the studio’s president, Jordan Harmon, in a recent interview.
Beck said, “The problem with making films is you can’t get them into the theatres because you need the big Hollywood studios to distribute it.
Walt Disney tried to create its own distribution company, which is almost impossible to do. How do you get theatres to accept your movie?”
Jordan responded, saying, “We created an Angel guild; a group of over 200,00 people that’s growing rapidly. They are the gatekeepers to all Angel content.” Unlike Hollywood, where five or six executives decide what films are produced, the group of 200,000 individuals gets to decide what Angel Studios creates.
“Part of our model is helping theatres give us more screens by having a direct relationship with them,” Jordan explained. People can purchase theatre tickets prior to the movie’s release date; this signals to theatres what content patrons want to see. “The theatres love what we are doing,” he added.
Once a few theatres sell out, the theatre chains get on board and open it up to their theatres, which gives the film a massive opening.
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If someone is described as irrelevant, it means people are not paying attention to them. However, there are examples of people who were once considered irrelevant who busted out of that mould
“Angel Studios has found a way to go directly to the people,” Beck noted.
Jordan said they chose this particular story because it tells the story of a real woman who showed her determination and the power of God to change the world in a miraculous way. The film is set to be released on March 8th and has already been booked at 2000 locations.
“If it wasn’t released by Angel Studios, it would win best picture. It’s that good,” Beck said. The movie tells the story of Frances Cabrini, who was born in Italy in 1850, the youngest of a family of 13 kids. She grew up to be fragile, sickly and deathly afraid of water.
Nevertheless, she founded a missionary group with seven other women, and made numerous trips from Europe to New York, where she helped Italian immigrants amidst chaos and poverty. She established 67 schools, hospitals and orphanages in the United States, Europe and Central and South America.
It was said that despite her frail health, her total trust in God was her outstanding personality characteristic and the source of an inner strength that propelled her to remarkable accomplishments in a relatively short amount of time. An irrelevant youngest child of a family of 13 became extremely relevant as an adult.
People who want to see the film can purchase tickets online and join the Angel Guild if they so desire.
“They picked Shania Twain’s music to back this up, which is so weird to how this film looks, but it is a brilliant strategy,” Beck explained. “For those who went to see what a strong woman is like and watched Barbie, I suggest giving this movie a shot.”
Although her story is more than a century old, the transition from irrelevant to relevant is still occurring today. Individuals and businesses are using ingenuity, becoming relevant, and influencing our culture in a positive way.
Oyen Junior Curling Bonspiel
The Oyen and District Curling Club was bustling with activity on Sat, February 3. The club hosted the 2024 Jr. Bonspiel. Curlers paid $30.00 and were guaranteed to curl 3 four end games throughout the day. Four teams were curled in the Gr. 4 – 6 division, and four teams were curled in the Gr. 7-9 division. The teams consisted of curlers from Oyen and area and Acadia Valley. Teams in each division received $20.00/ win. A nice payout for the young curlers.
Dan and Jerry had the curling ice in great shape for the day.
An abundance of donated items filled the pick-a-prize table. Once all the games had been played, curlers gathered and waited for their name to be pulled from the hat and their chance to pick. The prize table also included a $50.00 bill. This prize went to the curler whose name was last to be pulled from the hat. Cade Wilson was lucky to be last that day.
The bleachers were full of family members watching the young curlers. Some good shots were made, which provided excitement for the spectators.
This was the first Jr. spiel the club has hosted since 2020. Hopefully, these young curlers enjoyed the day and will be back in 2025.
