By Sheena Roszell

big hearts for big kids

Tenille Townes returns home to raise $415,000 for local youth emergency shelter

Sep 16, 2019 | 9:08 AM

Fresh off her four Canadian Country Music Award wins, Tenille Townes was home Saturday for the 10th anniversary of Big Hearts for Big Kids, and what a wildly successful evening it was.

The fundraiser brought in $415,000 for Sunrise House, bringing the total to more than $1.9 million raised for the local youth emergency shelter in the event’s 10-year history.

Over the past 10 years over 1,000 kids have come through the doors at the Sunrise House.

This fundraising seed was planted 10 years ago when Townes had the idea to host a concert in her back yard. She went around to businesses with a typed-up sponsor letter and asked for contributions.

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They decided to hold the first event at the Jackpot Grill, and it raised $30,000.

Fast forward 10 years and the event is now held at Evergreen Park and is always sold out.

Big Hearts for Big Kids event 2019

This year the event raised the most it ever has and plans for a new shelter were also revealed.

“We just got a very massive donation and a green light to be able to move forward to a new building of sorts thanks to John and Joan Neudorf with NTL Pipelines,” Townes announced Saturday. “And the piece of land – that was donated by Mr. Peter Teichroeb and the Happy Trails family.”

There will be more details on the plans for the new facility released in the weeks to come.

“It’s really significant timing that the night of the first event the shelter doors closed and standing up here celebrating 10 years, we get to look forward to the sunrise on the horizon over some growth, so that we don’t have to turn one single kid away, because there are nights when there are more than 12 kids sleeping at the Sunrise House, and that’s capacity.”

Saturday’s event featured Songwriters Adam Hambrick, Striking Matches and Gordie Sampson and a surprise appearance by Chad Brownlee.

It was MC’d by Big Country’s Lyle West and Q99’s Tyler Wold.

The event was headlined by Tenille Townes who had everyone on their feet singing and dancing along.

Townes was extremely grateful and proud of the generosity of the Grande Prairie area.

“On behalf of Sunrise House, and the entire board, the amazing entire staff of people who work to keep those kids safe every single night and answer that door when it gets a knock, thank you to all of you for making it possible for them to walk into those doors. I love you guys so much! What a night! Yeah!”