The Aurora Chapter of DeMolay International is hosting a unique shed raffle fundraiser to support its ongoing community service projects and leadership programs for young men ages 12-21.
“We’re doing a shed raffle right now for an eight-by-ten shed. It’s $20 per ticket, done through our email or at certain events in Cold Lake like the farmers market,” said Sam Kemplay, National Master Counselor of DeMolay Canada. “If you win the shed, we come out onto your property with the supervision of a contract company, and we build it on your property, so you don’t have to lift a finger.”
Tickets can be purchased at the Cold Lake Farmers Market every Thursday, during the chapter’s corn sales at the 7-Eleven South Cold Lake parking lot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekend in August, or by emailing [email protected]. Interested individuals can also call 780-545-7631 for more information. The draw for the grand prize is scheduled for early September.
The shed raffle is one of several initiatives undertaken by the Aurora Chapter to engage with and support the local community. “So, we’re a nonprofit organization for young men, ages 12-21. We do tons of charity events. We donate to the Humane Society, almost any organization you can think of, we’ve donated to, and we just try helping the community, and we take boys across the world,” explained Alex Schabel, Master Counselor of the Aurora Chapter.
In addition to fundraising, the chapter focuses on developing leadership skills among its members by placing them in progressively responsible roles. “When we are not out in the community doing things… we are still a young men’s group, similar to scouts, we still like to do fun stuff and such,” Kemplay noted. “The big thing about DeMolay is that we are a youth-led, adult-advised group, so we the youth get to make all the decisions, and the advisors are just to make sure we don’t burn the place down,” he said jokingly.
The Aurora Chapter is also working on future projects to further benefit the community. “We’ve been trying to work with a well-known person, Chris DeNunzio, and we’ve been trying to set up a concert,” shared Schabel.
One of their annual highlights is the corn sale fundraiser, which significantly contributes to the chapter’s activities. “We partner with Tabor corn company, and we have fresh Tabor corn up here in Cold Lake every weekend in August,” said Kemplay. “That’s our biggest fundraiser of the year.”
The chapter is currently welcoming new members to join their ranks. “We had a little bit of a dip during COVID, as did many other groups, but right now we have nine young men in our chapter with open positions for 21 people. More are welcomed,” Kemplay stated.
Those interested in learning more about DeMolay or joining the Aurora Chapter can visit DeMolayCanada.ca or find them on Facebook at Aurora Chapter Order of DeMolay.
Meetings for the Aurora Chapter are held bi-weekly at the Cold Lake Masonic Hall, providing opportunities for members to plan activities, conduct business, and reflect on their community service efforts.
