Cody Makowecki…challenges other to fast, and donate to help feed a family.

    A Drumheller high school student is challenging others to learn a little more about how the poorest of the poor live, and to hopefully alleviate hunger pains felt in the Roatan.
 Cody Makowecki is entering Grade 10 at St. Anthony’s School.  As part of his requirement to graduate, he is to complete a set amount of volunteer hours.
    He and his family also hold the Morgan Jayne Project close to their heart. His father founded the charity to provide infant formula to families in the Roatan to curb the spread of HIV from mothers to their children. They also recognize that many families in the county are facing the very basic need of food.
    The family is heading to visit the clinic in Roatan this October, and leading up to the trip, they are challenging others to help feed those with no food.
    Cody explains they came up with the idea before the ALS Ice Bucket challenge became a social media phenomenon, but they are looking at the same mechanism. They are issuing a challenge to residents to simply go for 12 hours without food, and then in turn donate $25 to help feed a family.
    He said the 12-hour fast is simply to let people get the feeling of what it is like to go without food for a day. This is a small price to pay as many children served by the clinic that administers the Morgan Jayne Project go days and days without food.
    Cody explains that $25 is enough to feed a family in Roatan for a whole month.    
    Throughout the month of September he is hoping to get at least one per day to take the challenge. At the end of the month, he will use the funds he collects to buy and distribute food to families when he arrives in Roatan next month.
    Cody is not just overseeing the challenge, he was tasked with it early on as Rob Anderson challenged Cody. He completed his sun up to sun down fast last Friday, and he then challenged more to the fast.
    To donate or learn more contact Fred Makowecki at Image Crafter or check out www.morganjayneproject.com.

 

A panoramic view of attendees and obstacles at Tough Mudder from Drumheller's Stampede Grounds facing downtown September 6, 2014.

“Wow.”
    That’s the most consistent feedback Mayor Terry Yemen received from people that took part in Tough Mudder Alberta 2014 on September 6 and 7.
    “Everyone loved the terrain,” said General Manager-Canada Tough Mudder Nick Cogger, adding people thought Tough Mudder made great use of the natural landscape to build a very challenging course that had course goers running up and down steep coulees and trekking over the motocross trails at the back of Drumheller’s Stampede Grounds.   

Two Tough Mudders navigate through the "Electroshock Therapy" obstacle, the wires of which emit electric pulses similar to an electric fence.

Over 2,000 spectators attended Tough Mudder over the September 6 and 7 weekend, that saw 7,700 people take on the extreme obstacle course, supported by about 250 staff and volunteers.
    “I can’t express how pleased I am with how things went this weekend. It was a really, really great event all around,” said Cogger. "Great community support, great course, a great turn out, great weather - fantastic.”
    “From our standpoint, it was a spectacular event,” said Drumheller Festival Society President Ryan Semchuk. The Festival Society was the group responsible for handling the local coordination of hosting the Tough Mudder event in Drumheller.

Two Tough Mudders jump from a five metre platform into 15 feet of water  below on the obstacle "Walk The Plank".

    “We had great support, and are thoroughly impressed with the community, the Town infrastructure and Town help, all of our volunteers.”  He said the community pulled together to support the Festival Society, especially when they were looking for some last minute help, and it was amazing to see everybody step in, help out, and get involved with the event.
    Tough Mudder emails out post-event surveys to spectators and participants, and Cogger said there is specific interest in people wanting to see some of the other obstacles from the catalogue of two- hundred obstacles, so Tough Mudder will see what they can bring to the course next year.
    “The challenge before us is how to out-do ourselves next year, given how successful this year was,” Cogger said.

 A Tough Mudder team with daring Drumhellerites who tackled the Tough Mudder obstacle course Saturday, September 6. (l-r)  Mel Mazereeuw, Kadena Pierce, Heather Jones, Chris Jones, Tim Dennis and at front, Brieanne Clark.

    The Mayor and the Festival Society said the downtown core was not as busy as expected, so Drumheller will have to look at how to engage people earlier on and get people moving better around town. One of the reasons for fewer people downtown could have been the cancellation of the street festival, and Semchuk said in speaking with attendees at Tough Mudder, people were heading off to hike and do other outdoor activities because the weather was so beautiful.
    Tough Mudder Alberta is confirmed for September 5 and 6, 2015, and tickets are already available on the Tough Mudder website.