Goat insurance fund raiser at Rycroft ATB collects $12,000
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Selling goat insurance turned out to be a successful fund-raiser for the ATB Financial branch in Rycroft.
Personal Banking Specialist Meagan Lundquist says the idea came from a similar idea involving cattle.
She says people nominated others to be put in a draw for a goat.
“Actually, myself and my branch manager both got nominated right on the very first day. Somebody paid $10 and that nominates three people and then we phone those three people and say you’ve been nominated to win a five-year-old fainting billy goat and then, they can turn around and nominate three other people for $10 too.”
People who did not want to have the goat could pay $20 for goat insurance that would have them taken out of the draw, but they could be nominated once more. Thirty dollars meant they were left out permanently.
The goat insurance initiative alone raised $12,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Other things like a BBQ and bingo night brought the total raised to $18,000.
Lundquist says the people at the branch had a personal reason for helping.
“There’s actually one girl in the branch, her son had burned his hands and he was in the Stollery for awhile getting treatment, so it’s pretty near-and-dear to our hearts.”
She adds the goat, which had belonged to her aunt, found a new home as a result of the draw.
“Just out by Wanham, so it’s only about 15-20 minutes away (from Rycroft). I do believe they have other animals. She was excited, I don’t know if her husband was as excited, but she was very excited for it.”
The fund-raising effort was all part of ATB Financial’s Teddy for a Toonie campaign. Branches in northern Alberta raised money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, while the ones in southern Alberta collected for the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary.