By Allison Werbowetsky
Swift Current
Current and future athletes of the Great Plains College Sundogs athletic program are asking for support in their plea for a $25,000 locker room revamp.

The Pepsi Canada Refresh Grant Program is a nationwide online voting competition that awards individuals, organizations and businesses a hefty sum of money to help fund community-friendly projects.

The Sundogs are one of approximately 70 applicants vying for one of two $25,000 prizes up for grabs. Of the total 200 applicants across Canada, only 10 with the most votes will receive the four $5,000, three $10,000, two $25,000 and one $100,000 prizes to be divvied up Sept. 1.

As of Tuesday morning, the Sundogs were sitting in the 34th spot and need as much help as they can get over the next six weeks of voting.

“The college is a great part of the community ... and the athletics program allows students to continue their competitive careers locally. I think it’s a very valuable function to have in a community, “ said Keleah Herron, director of development at Great Plains College. “We’re just trying to encourage people to go on there and vote for us.”

Herron found out about the competition the day applications were due. She quickly threw together an application and, thankfully, was able to use a video the college uses to recruit athletes to spice up their submission.

“Right now, we don’t have a real team room and locker facility for the Sundogs program. It’s a vital part of the institution, and we’d really like them to have their own space where they can store their equipment as well as have their own personal lockers,” she said.

The school is also in need of adequate shower facilities.

“We do have something minimal right now, but it’s definitely in need of an upgrade, so this would just allow us to move that extra step forward,” Herron added.

The $25,000 would cover the total cost of the upgrade they need.

“I think it’s one more addition that allows us to attract athletes to the program, and it’s also a good opportunity for other groups that use our facilities and gym. I know right now a lot of the secondary schools come over and use it, as well as different teams in the community, so that would be one more thing we’ll be able to offer them,” she said.

The renovations the college is currently undergoing do not include upgrades to the athletics program.

“The equipment and infrastructure costs around programs are escalating all of the time, so that’s why it’s mostly shops and classrooms, and of course our heating systems, which are very old. Obviously, the money only goes so far, so this wasn’t a piece that we could include at the time,” Herron said.

The college is relying on newspaper articles, radio interviews and Facebook to get the word out to voters.

“We don’t want to spend much of our hard dollars on this but certainly we’re using people power and word of mouth to get this out there because it’s a good project for the community,” she said.

To vote for the Sundogs, go to www.refresh everything.ca/gpcsundogs and sign up. Voters can cast up to 10 votes per day every day until voting closes, but only once per project. Return to the website daily to vote for the Sundogs. Voting only takes a few seconds.

The competition closes Aug. 31 and winners will be announced Sept. 1. For more information about the Sundogs’ bid, contact Herron at 306-778-5499 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.facebook.com/greatplainscollege.