Having high school teams back is welcome, but it doesn’t mean they’re out of the woods. The non-profit hopes to recover from a second shutdown due to the COVID pandemic with the help of donations.
“Roughly one third of our budget or revenue is missing at this point, and that’s pretty significant especially for a non-profit, we don’t run with a lot of reserves,” said Curling Director John Benton.
“It’s been a place for me where I’ve been able to grow as a human and a hockey player. With that being said, obviously some trying times with the pandemic,” said Nick Bjugstad, a former Blaine Bengal.
“If you can donate to keep this staple alive and well for both Blaine and Spring Lake Park, that would be amazing, to keep their doors open for future generations to make great memories as well,” said David Backes, a former Spring Lake Park player.
The arena is hoping people who have close ties to Fogerty can help bridge the financial gap until things fully return to normal.
“We see almost 3 million visitors a year,” says Benton. “There’s a lot of people since 1982 that have skated here, or now in the last 7 years have curled here. We’re hoping that all those people will recognize this is an important community resource for the North Metro and the Twin Cities.”
Other than donations to open the facility in 1982, this is the first time the public has been asked for help. More than $89,000 has been donated. For more information on Fogerty’s fundraiser go to their website fogertyarena.com.
