Community members will be helping extend lifelines to women battling demons of addiction this weekend.
Souls Harbour Rescue Mission is holding its second annual ice fishing tournament on Echo Lake this Sunday.
Cash raised will help finance a major expansion of a yearlong residential treatment program for women suffering from addictions who are trying to put their lives back together.
So what’s the catch?
Actually, it’s just the fish.
It costs $75 to buy an ice-fishing hole which offers a chance at thousands of dollars worth of prizes.
Last year, more than 208 people took part in the fishing tournament and this year organizers hope to top this.
The program director for Souls Harbour, Rebecca Cochrane, says the fishing tournament is a good family event that supports a great cause and offers some big prizes.
“We have a first prize of $5,000 for the biggest fish caught and up to $20,000 dollars in other prizes that we are giving away,” she says.
However, the real winners are the women who will receive support in their quests to live clean and sober lives.
Shayil Home is a one-year residential addictions program.
Currently, it accommodates seven women and their children but a major renovation is underway which will more than double capacity to 16 women and children.
Cochrane says for many the addictions program is their last hope.
“A lot of women will say that they believe if they were not in our program they would be dead. They know lots of people who have died in their addictions, so we are looking to help them not be part of that statistic.”
You can register online for the tournament at icefishsk.com or on site Sunday morning but cash only will be accepted the day of the tournament.
The event starts with a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. with the tournament running from 11 a.m. too 3 p.m.
The tournament is being held at the Echo Lake Bible Camp near Fort San.