“This is an amazing community filled with amazing people!” says Jason Wooldridge of Virden. On Mar. 11 a Poker Night fundraising event to raise money and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was held at the Legion in Virden. The response to the event was overwhelming to organizing committee members: Jason Wooldridge, Lisa Pearn, Harley McCormick, and Shayne Sebree.
Originally hoping to have 70 players, 6-12 prizes to raffle off, and raise $5,000, the event had an unexpected 75 prizes donated, over 200 people in attendance, and raised $14,134.
Wooldridge says that once the word got out about the event, the community absolutely rallied together and showed their support in any way they could. He adds that the organizing committee may have called a handful of businesses for donations, with the rest just stepping forward and contacting them. Donations and support came from as far away as Toronto, ON., Pheonix, AZ., and Kugluktuk Nunavut.
A few of the larger prizes were a half a beef (cut and wrapped), two season tickets to the Virden Oil Capitals 2017/18 season, Winnipeg Jets tickets and a Shane Doan autographed Arizona Coyote Jersey.
“We had people offering to help in any way they could,” says Wooldridge, “We actually found ourselves turning down volunteer help, because we didn’t want to tell people to come help, and there be nothing for them to do.”
Wooldridge’s father, Murray Wooldridge, was diagnosed with ALS in early 2015. ALS kills the neurons in the brain which control muscle movement. It is a cruel disease with no cure.
Murray was a pillar in the community. He has been a Legion member for 44 years, one of the founders for the Legion Poker Club, a founding member of the Memory Tree fundraiser, caretaker of the Virden cemetery for many years, a local school bus driver and owned a lawn care business in Virden.
“Murray Wooldridge is the kind of guy, people love to love,” says Wooldridge “All of the people who showed up that night in his honour, he potentially touched their hearts in some way.”
“On behalf of the Wooldridge family, and the ALS Society of MB, I would like to sincerely thank Lisa, Harley, Shayne, and everyone who volunteered, donated, attended the event or played poker,” says Wooldridge.
