YOUTH DRUG PROGRAMS BENEFIT MOST FROM PEACE 100 RALLY

Start your engines! February 10 marks the beginning of the 16th annual
PEACE 100 Snowmobile Rally in Nipawin.

Start your engines! February 10 marks the beginning of the 16th annual
PEACE 100 Snowmobile Rally in Nipawin.

This two day event will raise money for the Saskatchewan Elks
Foundation, which will then support youth drug awareness and education
programs in the province. Every year the Elks donate $10,000 to train
RCMP officers in the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program,
which gives kids the skills they need to avoid drugs and violence.

In Nipawin, Grades 5 and 6 students take a 17-week course through
school, where RCMP talk to them about drug education and how to say
"no."

Started in Nipawin in 1991, the rally is sponsored annually by
Saskatchewan Elks, the Royal Purple and RCMP. That first rally saw 173
registered riders and raised $25,000. There's been a decline in
participants, said organizer Eugene Rawlyk, because there are so many
other rallies each year.

However, there were 80 riders last year who raised more than $20,000.
And this year, he said, there have been calls from riders in Alberta
wanting to come out, as there is little or no snow there.

The weekend begins with registration, fees are $10, Friday night from
7-11 p.m. at the Elks Hall. Stop in for Casino Night - everyone that
comes will get $2,000 in play money to purchase various merchandise.
On Saturday, there will be registration 8-10 a.m. at the Evergreen
Centre, with the official start of the Rally at 10.

Snowmobilers have a chance to win cash prizes, sponsored by the Elks
and Diamond North Credit Union.

Saturday night, you can enjoy cocktails from 5:30-6:30 p.m., followed
by a banquet and awards presentation. There will also be a casino night.

The snowmobile rally is one of three Elks' fundraisers a year. The
group organizes a walk-a-thon to raise money for their SPARC program
to detect deafness in children and the Charity Appeal, where a van is
raffled off to support seniors' homes.

While the rally weekend looks to be promising, with a fresh snowfall
this past week, it will also be a bittersweet one. Rawlyk said the
Nipawin Elks have given notice, "with regret" that next year's rally
will be the final one.

"We hate to see it leave Nipawin," he said, but added that it's
getting to be too much for the group's members.

He said the Elks felt they've done all they could do, and that they
need more young members to continue on with the rally. He said the
money they raise for these awareness

programs are important for the community.

"If we save one kid from taking drugs, it's worth it. What else can I
say?"