By now, many of you are no doubt aware of the challenges that lie ahead for the Lynn Davies Rugby Park. While a concerted effort by a special Member Task Force has managed to extend our land license to 2025, in order for us to continue beyond 2025 we need to move our clubhouse away from the western boundary of the grounds, where future pipelines are expected to be routed. To accomplish this, the Task Force has developed a Site Master Plan that has recently been acknowledged by Alberta Infrastructure, the managers of the Transportation and Utility Corridor within which our grounds lie. This plan presents an exciting opportunity for the future of our club, establishing a brand-new, 3,000 ft2 clubhouse structure overlooking a feature field, complete with elevated viewing decks and adjacent stands. This proposed new structure will also be built to “green” building standards, helping us minimize our long-term operating costs. The full project description and phased implementation plan is available here.
Here’s the catch: In order to achieve this ambitious plan, we’ll need to raise close to $900,000. While we anticipate the bulk of this will come from provincial and federal grants, we will still need to supplement these grants with donations and volunteer efforts. The start is now!
Capital Funding Program
$300,000 in 3 years: This is our minimum cash goal, which we hope to raise from members, alumni, and the public. We also hope to raise an extra $150,000 through corporate donations and various fundraising and volunteer efforts. To get everything rolling, we’ve set up a Strathcona Druids RFC Fund under the Canadian Rugby Foundation. To donate to this fund, click here and fill out all required fields, making sure to select the “Strathcona Druids RFC Fund” from the Fund drop-down menu We’ve already seen great success from this fund, garnering two pledged donations of $25,000 each with hopefully much more to come! While we understand that not everyone is able to commit that kind of money, every contribution counts towards the legacy of both the Strathcona Druids RFC and the Lynn Davies Rugby Park. Even just a small monthly donation of $25 adds up fast; for less than the cost of a burger and a beer out each month, you can help raise up to $1,500 for your club over the next five years! Donations to the fund are also tax-deductible and come with a tax receipt, helping to reduce the overall cost of your contribution.
Volunteers Needed
Be a part of this exciting, once in a lifetime opportunity to build a legacy sporting facility in our community! We are looking for volunteers to help us with this very challenging project. Enthusiasm and expertise are required in these three areas:
Construction (building and landscaping)
Fundraising
Communications
In addition, we are also looking for two assistants to help support facility operations: a booking coordinator for fields and facilities, and a financial and bookkeeping administrator. All we’re looking for is a small commitment of just 2-4 hours per week. While this may not seem like a lot, it can help take a significant load off existing volunteers, allowing them to focus further on enhancing the Capital Funding Program. If you are able and interested, please contact Larry Wall at facilities@druidsrfc.com. Whether through volunteering or a small donation, any amount of support from our members, alumni, and the general public is both greatly needed and appreciated. This is an enormous undertaking, and the long-term security of our club hangs in the balance, and so anything that you, your friends, or your family can afford to contribute will go a long way towards securing the future of the Lynn Davies Rugby Park and the Strathcona Druids organization as a whole. We thank you all for your help with this incredibly challenging, incredibly important endeavour!
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