YORKTON — Community spirit was on full display as BGC Yorkton hosted a barbecue fundraiser June 11, with support from staff and volunteers from The Bentley.
The event, aimed at bolstering funds for BGC Yorkton’s programming, was made possible through The Bentley’s sponsorship of supplies and entertainment. The partnership was sparked when the team at The Bentley noticed BGC Yorkton’s “Help the BGC” campaign and stepped up to collaborate.
“They have sponsored all of the supplies and brought the entertainment so that we can have this awesome fundraiser event and raise some funds for our summer program,” said Erin Roussin, BGC Yorkton’s director of operations.
The fundraiser was especially crucial this year after BGC Yorkton learned in May that it would not be receiving funding through the federal Canada Summer Jobs Program—a sharp contrast to 2024, when the grant had supported its programming.
“We've had a lot of great community support. It's been a nice feeling of the community pulling together to help us out,” said Roussin, adding that the organization has managed to recoup the summer deficit from the lost grant.
Additional funds raised will contribute to fall programming, which has also been affected by broader funding cuts.
“Non-profit is a tough world. The world's in a little bit of a weird place right now and people are finding things way more expensive—and as are we—which makes our programs busier,” said Roussin, adding, “which is a great thing, but the funding doesn't often come along with it.”
For The Bentley, stepping up to assist was a natural decision.
“Once we heard that BGC was losing some funding, we as a team decided, ‘what can we do?’” said Gurjit Dhaliwal, executive director of The Bentley Yorkton.
“At The Bentley, we've always done fundraisers in town ... we enjoy doing it and enjoy giving back to the community,” said Dhaliwal, adding “we're happy to do it, and if anything else is needed in this community, we'll be jumping first and doing it.”
Funds raised through the event and ongoing sponsorships go directly toward programming for local children.
“When we can get that community backing, it just means there's more we can do for the kids,” said Roussin.
