Area cowboys shone at this year’s  Canadian Finals Rodeo.
    Residents of Donalda, brothers Curtis and Cody Cassidy  and Big Valley resident Josh Harden saddled up for a wild ride at the 42nd Annual Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton in November.
    Curtis Cassidy won the High Point Champion. He explained that the High Point Champion is the competitor who wins the most money in any two combined events in Canada. He won approximately $67,000 last year.
  “It helps get you down the road but there are a lot of expenses, it is not all profit,” he  chuckles.
    He will continue his rodeo season by  going to events in Texas to hopefully win some money before heading off to the National Finals Rodeo in Vegas.
    Steer Wrestling Champion Cody Cassidy won approximately $100,000 last year.  His plans this winter are to rodeo in Ft. Worth, Texas and if he is in the top five, he gets a bye for The American in Dallas, Texas.  
    Cody raises cattle with his father just outside of Donalda and his favorite horse is Tank which he rode in the CFR.
    Josh Harden won the All Around Champion buckle. He explained that the award is for  the cowboy who works both ends of the arena, rough stock rider and timed event. His winnings were about $25,000.  Future plans are not written in stone yet as they are still in the planning stages for rodeoing in the states. Josh raises 7 or 8 horses in the Big Valley area and eventually they will be used in rodeos.

    A church in Rosebud is showing compassion in helping families start new, away from war-ravaged Syria.
     The Rosebud Church has collaborated with two others in Strathmore to help sponsor Syrian families. It already appears that the group has been successful in providing for one family, and it looks like they are working on raising the funds needed to help another.
    Saulo Castro is a member of the Rosebud Church, and says they are part of a movement called Hope for Syria, which so far is sponsoring a family of seven. They are working through the Mennonite Central Committee.  
    “There was more support in the community and people wanted to get involved so it looks like there is support to bring a second family,” said Castro.  “It is with Hope Church, and an Alliance Church in Strathmore, the three churches are going to keep fundraising to bring a second family.”
    He said the funds they raise are partnered with funds from the government to help support the family and allow them to get on their feet.
    “It is a long term commitment from the community to help them with just settling and helping them find schools and provide furniture,” he said. “It is helping the family become part of the community, not just bringing them here, but taking care of them in the long term.”
    Jeany Snider said there were many questions within the church community about taking such action. There were trust concerns, questions about culture and organization.
    “It became a longer process with this discussion, which is healthy, but we had to keep turning over the stone and asking ‘what is the best response? What is God asking us to do?” she said.
  Right now, they are gauging how to use these assets to support this cause.
    “When we look at our community in Rosebud, we don’t necessarily have a lot of cash, but we can give what we have, and what we do have is community and we invest time in each other. We also have skills in the arts with the theatre. We also have resources in a venue and food, personnel and equipment,” she said.
    They are looking at planning to use these

skills to raise awareness and support it the near future.
    Castro sees this as the right thing to do.
    “When we saw the picture of the little boy that drowned, I think it just touches you. You don’t know what to do or how to react, but you want to do something,” said Castro. “It pulls at the strings of your heart. We started exploring what could be done, and sponsorship came up, we also are looking at relief efforts."
    “It’s just part of human nature, we can all relate to that. For myself, I am an immigrant, I came from Mexico when I was young and saw the sacrifices my parents had to do to bring me to a better country and provide opportunity for me. If we can help someone to reach that goal and care for the family, and make it so the kids have a better opportunity, it is a way we can make a difference.
    “These people need so much hope, and we have so much here, the least we could do is pull together to see if we could help a family with relief funding or sponsorship.”
    To learn more about the project, call the church at 403-677-2244.