Neepawa UCT: People helping people for 25 years

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Published on Saturday, May 6, 2017

By Neepawa UCT

Submitted

A new organization for Neepawa was formed in 1991, with United Commercial Travelers instituting Council #924, sponsored by Brandon Council #448.  United Commercial Travelers is more commonly known as “U.C.T.”.  It is a fraternal benefits society dedicated to “People Helping People”. Our goals are to improve fellowship, to discover the best in ourselves and others and to derive satisfaction from helping others.  U.C.T. was formed in 1888 in Columbus, Ohio, by a group of travelling salesmen.  

It is a North American organization with three levels of government: local, regional and international.  Head office is in Columbus, Ohio, with the Canadian office in Calgary.

Our Council projects are helping persons with intellectual disabilities, youth, cancer care, safety and community activities.  Projects we have supported since 1991 include Touchwood Park activities, Special Olympics and NACI Special Education classes, furnishing the first Palliative Care patient room at the Neepawa hospital, Waves of Hope, Alyx Delaloye Charitable Golf Tournament, Neepawa Natives safety cards with safety tips on the back, Neepawa figure skating club, safety poster contests, minor hockey, baseball, volleyball, soccer, Jr. Rifle Club, three blood donor clinics a year, hosting one of the community flu clinics each year, Beautiful Plains Agricultural Society, 4-H Programs, “Join Hands Day”, junior golf and curling, junior horticultural club, Manitoba high school rodeo locally and provincially and two Neepawa boys who qualified and attended the UCT International Golf Tournament in Florida.

We donated $10,000 to the building of Country Meadow Personal Care Home. The Yellowhead Arena, B.P.A.S. Ag-Complex, Neepawa Access T.V. station, Roxy Theatre, Salvation Army, Citizens on Patrol, Alzheimers Memory Walk have also received our support. We built our own Neepawa UCT float for local parades.

For one of our safety programs, we have hosted a Progressive Farm Safety Day for Carberry and Neepawa Grade 5 and 6 students since 2003. It was held every year for Grade 5 students, until 2012. Since 2014, we co-hosted it every other year for Grade 5 and Grade 6 students. This day is one of our largest undertakings and we hope that we have helped prevent some serious accidents or even deaths. The cost over the years for this event has been over $30,000. We have also sponsored a speaker from an Ontario penitentiary to speak at local schools on drug awareness.

We believe that the donations and volunteer hours completed by Neepawa UCT members in the past 25 years have exceeded $250,000, which has benefited our community.

Some of our members’ children or grandchildren have benefited from receiving the May E. Tisdale Scholarship, valued at $500 each. Over 40 students from our membership have been awarded over $20,000.  Three local students received funding from UCT Charities Fund towards their education to teach special needs children. We supported a member on a student exchange and have also held two benefit socials for members.

To fund all these programs, we have sold many tickets; held a bingo; in the early 1990s, we held an annual steak BBQ and a live auction of donated goods held at the Lions Riverbend Park; held a “Pig Plop” at the same event; catered to social events, auction sales and weddings; sponsored “Country Blend” dinner and concert show and “Scott Woods” several times; hosted two MB/SK Regional conventions; snowmobile trail rides and an annual tag day, handing out seed packets for a donation.  We also participate in an annual UCT ticket raffle within Manitoba - our largest yearly fundraiser.

Since 2001, we also have completed the Medal of Honor Program, qualifying for Gold for 13 years, at $750 each, and the Community Award for $100 in 2012 and 2013, totalling $9,950, which was received by Neepawa council from head office.

Each year, UCT has a number of social events, such as pot-luck suppers, BBQs, Christmas bowling party, curling bonspiels and golf tournaments.  

In the beginning, we held our regular monthly supper meetings at the Touchwood Park Activities Centre. A few years later, our meetings were held at the I.O.O.F. hall, with the Oddfellows and Rebekahs catering. We now hold most of our meetings at the Neepawa Drop In Centre.  Occasionally, we have a supper meeting at one of the restaurants in town or at the Neepawa Golf Club.  We have also met at the Aspenlea common room, with a pot-luck supper or enjoyed a BBQ at Rotary Park along with our business meeting

At this present time, our membership is approx 115, with members living in B.C. and in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Baldur, Carberry, Virden, Gladstone and of course, the majority of our members are from the Neepawa area.  UCT members are community-minded people who continue to volunteer for many events.  UCT membership is open to men and women, ages 16 and up.  Members receive hotel discounts.  Insurance coverage is optional to any member and some of our members have received substantial benefits from minimal premiums.

Neepawa U.C.T. members celebrated the 25th anniversay of the Council on Nov. 15, 2016 at the Arts Forward Centre. It entailed a social event, great entertainment and a delicious dinner attended by 45 members and guests. Following supper, letters of congratulations from various political levels were read.  Special guest Dave Poets, former UCT Canadian Marketing manager, spoke on how the Neepawa Council began in 1991.  We were then entertained by the Neepawa Junior Scottish dancers,  followed with a reading of the past 25 years history and cutting the 25th anniversary cake.