One resident of Niverville is hoping that this summer will see a series of upgrades to the Niverville Dog Park. Barry Piasta, who has been active in the community for many years, has worked hard to upgrade the dog park in the past. Now he’s taking the initiative once again by enlisting the help of local businesses and volunteers.
“When I did the first round of improvements by getting the agility equipment, I had some great people who are truly the ones who made it happen,” Piasta says. “They donated [their] time, skill, and connections, [which in the end is what] made it happen.”
This year he has something special planned in order to raise funds—a comedy troupe called Raise the Woof, which performs in support of animal-based fundraisers. Raise the Woof has worked with more than 50 organizations across North America and raised $1 million in ten years.
The event, which takes place on February 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Golden Friendship Centre in Niverville, will feature not only the comedy show but also a silent auction, a 50/50 draw, and a donation draw in which the winner takes home ten times their donation amount (up to $200). The evening is sponsored by Ruff Mutts, a Niverville company and go-to shop for all things pet related. Tickets cost $15.
“I believe it’s the least I can do with my time to give back to our community and show my daughter about giving back to others,” Piasta says of why he organized the fundraiser. “I only have the ideas. It’s all the donators, the businesses, and people who attend who are the ones who will make it a success.”
While Piasta doesn’t have a dollar amount in mind that he would like to see, he says that his main focus is raising enough money for the improvements that don’t come out of the town budget. Still, he hopes to sell out the event and see people have a great time while supporting something dear to his heart.
In addition to some facelift work such as fence repair and painting, he says that he would like to raise enough to add some solar lighting and create a new double gate entrance and some new sections within the park.
“The dog park has on average 30 visits throughout each day. It has people from surrounding community’s bringing their dogs,” he explains. “A group called Tour of Winnipeg Dog Parks come out regularly with 15 to 20 dogs [per] visit. With our dog park being the only one of its kind, Winnipeg officials and officials from other communities get ideas from ours. I hope we can be a destination spot for dog owners of all kinds. Those who come out to the dog park also visit businesses in Niverville. They eat at our restaurants, buy gas and snacks, [and] even become residents of Niverville. As far as dog parks in Manitoba, we are the jewel, so let’s make it a diamond.”
