Visit the Villages Tractor Trek

The 8th Annual Visit the Villages Tractor Trek

Visit the Villages Tractor Trek is now in its 8th year as a signature fun-raising event for Eden Foundation.  The ride this year is schedule for Saturday July 11th.  This year, we've produced a special Tractor Trekker's Manual which will provide you all the information you'll need to help you have a successful ride and successful fund-raising experience.  You can download that manual HERE.  Visit the Villages Tractor Trek is a fund-raising event to support mental health recovery programs for individuals living our Southern Health Region.

If you're ready to register now, call us at 204-325-5355 and we'll send out a packet by mail which you can fill out and return to us.  You can also register directly on-line.  Click HERE to register on-line.

Two long-time members of our Tractor Trek will not be with us again.  Martin Wiebe who brought his 77 Oliver to the Trek left us in February of this year and Bob Letkeman who faithfully drove the follow-up pick-up at the back of line, eating your dust every trip left us in October this last year.  He couldn't make the trek in 2014 due to ill health and he was very sorry he couldn't be part of an event he'd been a vital part of in bringing to life.  We'll miss these two people, so we'll ride in memory of Martin and Bob.

Martin P. Wiebe
April 27, 1932
February 4, 2015

Bob Letkeman
June 23, 1953
October 5, 2014

                                                                                                                  





Like we've done in previous years, you'll arrive in Reinland and unload your tractor and there'll be a sign that matches the tractor number you were assigned after you registered.  Then you're invited to come to visit the Check-in Table to the south of the Reinland Community Centre, drop off your collected donations and pick up the packet of information that will include this years Tractor Trek shirt and it will also include your meal tickets for both breakfast and lunch.

From there, make your way into the Reinland Community Centre for breakfast where you'll turn in your breakfast ticket.  Breakfast is served as part of the Community Centre's fund-raising efforts and you're invited to bring guests with you and have them leave a generous donation for their community efforts.

We'll have a few preliminary opening comments and then Armin Ens, the chair of the Foundation will lead us on our way out of Reinland.  Download the Manual and you'll see a detailed route for this years Trek.

Our destination this year is Eden Mental Health Centre where we'll have lunch together and staff will give us an overview of how the building is laid out, what services are provided and then we'll also hear about some of the dreams of administration and staff for the hospital.

When we're back on the road the return route to Reinland will go through Chortitz and a stop at Valley Christian Academy with an opportunity to step across the road to visit the Village Toy Shop.  If you're planning on buying something there, tie a label with your name or tractor number on it and our follow-up pick-up truck will take it back to Reinland for you.

Once we're back in Reinland, you'll have some time to load your tractor and then supper will be at 6 pm and you'll need your supper tickets for that.  You received two tickets in the package at check-in time earlier in the day and if you're planning in bringing an additional guest, you'll need to buy them when you register for the Trek.  The community centre has limited seating and we'll need to be sure to remain within the seating capacity of the building.  We're planning on forty tractors and each tractor will be assigned two tickets for a total reservation of 80 people.  There will be room for another 40 at most.  We'd love to fill the hall but at the same time we do not want to disappoint anyone either.

Besides the fun of making the awards, we'll have a silent auction again this year.  Last year during the 2014 Tractor Trek we had a great time with the auction and the prizes up for auction were of significant value.  Bring along a couple extra $20's to take part in the auction.

Head for the Hills 2015

Head for the Hills 2015

Put this on your riding calendar.  Eden Foundation's 13th Annual Head for the Hills Cycling event is one Saturday September 12th.  Click HERE to go directly to the ON-Line Registration page.  This year we're hoping to have a banner year turn-out.  We've got room for 200 cyclists and we encourage you to sign up early and encourage one more peson to join you in this event.

This year a Cyclist's Manual has been produced which you can download HERE.  It will give you all the details about the ride, how to get involved with the event, how to get yourself and your bike ready for the ride and there are some hassle-free hints on how to encourage people to support you in the ride.

Eden Foundation is fortunate to have the support of businesses in our area.  Golden West Broadcasting, Lode-King and Triple E Recreational Vehicles, Access Credit Union and Winkler Co-op are involved with helping to make this event a success.  Eden Foundation is also able to provide three different bicycles as prizes at the Head for the Hills wind-up because of the support from Tinker Creek Cycle, Morden, Country Cycle and Time-Out Sports in Winkler and Back Alley Cycle of Altona.  Details on how you can be eligible for one of these bicycles are available in the down-loadable Cyclist's Manual.

The goal this year is to raise $100,000 for the work of Eden Health Care Services, bringing hope, healing and community to people dealing with issues of mental health.  The manual also has a number of stories of people who have been helped as a result of the work done by the programs of Eden Health Care and you are encouraged to look for them in the manual.

Come join us as an individual rider, join as a group from your work or your social group or your church and get a cycling "buzz" going.  Check out the Cyclist's Manual and come join us at Head for the Hills.

Mass Choir Christmas Concert

Winkler Sommerfeld Mennonite Church extends an invitation to come hear the Christmas story presented through the reading of Old Testament and New Testament Scripture and with music presented by the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church mass choir, on Sunday December 14^th at 7 pm.  There will be an opportunity to give in support of the work of Eden Health Care Services.  The evening will also feature music by 'Sweet Assurance' as well as congregational carol singing.

In addition to hearing the Christmas story in Scripture and song, you'll learn a bit about the history of the Eden organization, some words of gratitude from people who have or are using services provided by one or more of the programs of Eden Health Care; as well as some hopes and dreams for the year to come.

Coffee and fellowship after the program.

Sharing our Stories Dessert Night

Each year Eden Foundation hosts a Dessert Night for the purpose or raising the awareness of issues related to mental health.  The evening is intended to be entertaining to a broad audience and tie in the significance of good mental health.

This year Eden Foundation has invited a group of people to come to the Steinbach Mennonite Church to tell their stories of hope and healing.  On Friday evening, November 21st these brave individuals will share their stories of lived experience and will give us an inside glimpse as to where they are on their journey of mental health recovery.  In addition Auto City Big Band, a jazz ensemble from Steinbach Regional Secondary School will be our special musical guests.

The purpose of the Dessert Night is to support the work of the Eden organization generally, but also more specifically to provide capital resources for new housing initiatives.  Eden has been invited by a group of people from Steinbach to consider a partnership in developing another affordable housing apartment similar in function to Penfeld Court and Wilson Courts.  The city has done excellent work in identifying community needs and the Eden organization is looking forward to working with the community to develop a shared proposal.  The participation of the citizens of Steinbach and surrounding area provides powerful evidence to other potential major participants that there is a collective will to achieve his affordable housing objective.

Eden's housing model ensures the needs of individuals living with mental health issues have safe, affordable homes within the context of an integrated and supportive community.  This reflects the fact that one in five Canadians are dealing with some form of mental health concern.

Admission to Eden Foundation's Dessert Night is free and there will be opportunity to hear more about the housing proposal being envisioned collectively with citizens of the Steinbach community, and to financially support the work.

For complementary tickets to reserve a seat at Eden's Dessert Night, call Eden East office at 204-326-5437 or e-mail ehcs@edenhealthcare.ca.

Laughter is Sacred Space: Dessert Night with Ted & Co.

Ted Swartz is a writer and actor who has been mucking around in the worlds of the sacred and profane for over 20 years. As theologian and thespian, Ted brings a unique perspective to his craft, creating a space where these two worlds can interact. In his portrayals of Biblical characters, Ted breathes life into their stories by uncovering the humour implicit in the text. Call it "comedic exegesis." Ted is owner and artistic director of Ted and Company Harrisonburg, VA, and is the creator or co-creator of over a dozen plays.

Ted is funny. He falls off a stage better than anyone. If you know anything about his career over the past twenty years, you know he can move an audience to tears; the funny kind. You may also know he does more than funny. In the immediate years after the loss of his creative partner Lee Eshleman, funny seemed beyond Ted’s reach. In this production ‘Laughter is Sacred Space’ Ted is crazy honest about his journey from his Mennonite beginnings to his discovery of the stage. With refreshing tenderness and delightful humour, we learn of his love of baseball, his wife Sue and his boys. We find out he is a sentimental sap, a middle child, a preacher, a performer, a wordsmith and a theatre artist extraordinaire. Moments of his memoir will come to life in this show. These snapshots promise to remind us of the vulnerabilities and victories in our lives as well as the healing power of laughter and tears; the good kind. Bring a hanky.

Ted is bringing his production of ‘Laughter in is Sacred Space’ to Morden’s Access Event Centre on Friday November 7th. The Benefit Performance will begin at 7 p.m. and about 75 minutes later you’ll be invited to stay for coffee and dessert. The Community Hall will be set up with tables and chairs, so seating will be limited and you are encouraged to call 204-325-5355 or send an e-mail to ehcs@edenhealthcare.ca to reserve your tickets. There is no charge for the tickets but an opportunity will be given to support the development of an Affordable Housing project in Morden.

Dessert Night with Ted, ‘Laughter in is Sacred Space’ is a co-operative effort of Eden Foundation, Shenandoah Playwrights Ink and sponsoring businesses making it possible for all funds collected at the event go to the Affordable Housing project in Morden.

Lecture Series 2014

Register ON-LINE now.

Each year, Eden Health Care Services hosts an event where particular interests in the mental health field are presented to the community.  The purpose of the event is to spend a day with presenters who have a specialty in a particular area of interest.  The Lecture Series as it has become known is a daylong workshop intended to engage mental health professionals, health care providers, social workers, those who provide pastoral care and the general public who have an interest in the material being presented.

This year the Eden Lecture Series is entitled “Creativity and the Human Spirit, Weaving a Fabric of Healing and Hope”.  The day is going to be packed with presenters and with information gleaned from lived experience and with practical application.   

This year’s presenters feature:

Nigel & Lucile Bart of Artbeat Studios in Winnipeg   Link to Artbeat Studio

Shirley Elias of Emotesart Studio in Winnipeg           Link to emotesart

Margruite Krahn of The Art Loft in Neubergthal          Link to The Art Loft

Joel Klassen, Music Therapist EHCS                         Link to EHCS Music Therapy

In addition to these primary presenters, the day will be interspersed with guest appearance by Ted Schwartz of Ted & Co. TheatreWorks from Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Link to Ted & Co.

 

Each of these people have personal stories to tell and have found creative ways that have led to healing and hope in their own lives and in addition, made dramatic impacts on the lives around them.  The Eden Health Care Services Lecture Series is scheduled for Thursday November 7^th at the Access Event Centre, 111 Gilmore Street  Morden, MB.  Sign-in begins at 8 a.m. and the lectures will begin promptly at 9 a.m.  The registration fee of $80 will include lunch and refreshment breaks.

Register by calling 1-866-895-2919 or 204-325-5355.  Please have your credit card ready.

Register by e-mail at ehcs@edenhealthcare.ca and include your name, your credit card information or your organization’s purchase order if applicable and your contact information.  You may also click on this LINK which will take you to a down-loadable application form that you can fill out and return by fax or scanning and e-mailing.

You may also register on line by clicking this LINK which will take you to a secure on-line registration location.

In addition to hearing the compelling stories from each of the presenters, there will be a variety of art work on display throughout the day and will be available for sale.  You will be dealing directly with the artists who have created the works being shown.

Visit the Villages: Tractor Trek Event

Photo by T. Klassen Photography

July 12^th, 2014

The Visit the Villages TRACTOR TREK is a fundraising event organized by the Eden Foundation in Winkler, MB. each summer.  This is our 7^th annual trek and we are anticipating  about 40  tractors to be registered.  The tractors need to be 40 years old or older and be able to maintain a speed of 8 – 10 mph. The goal of the event is to raise $1,000 per tractor entry. This year’s route will remain east of Highway 32, going through the villages of Schoenwiese, Gnadenthal, Blumengart, Friedensruh and Reinfeld.

The day begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Reinland Community Centre, south of Winkler, with registration and a hearty breakfast buffet.  Family members and the general public are encouraged to join the trekkers for breakfast.  (All breakfast donations are in support of the Reinland Community Centre). Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Judges will be present, judging the tractors throughout the day in the  different categories as chosen by the judging committee.  Lunch will be hosted by the Blumengart Hutterite Colony.  The trek will finish at Lode King Industries, 135 Canada St., Winkler.  After a tour of these facilities, everyone returns to Reinland Community Centre for a silent auction, supper and prizes will conclude this day of enjoying memories of the past and the creation of new ones.

Each registered trekker is asked to collect pledges in support of Eden’s mental health recovery programs.  The funds raised with this event help to fund Eden’s mental health recovery programs that do not receive government funding.  It is through these programs that individuals experiencing mental health challenges receive hope and healing. The funds that are collected as a result of the trekkers will be used to refurbish the two apartment buildings which make up Enns Courts in Winkler.  The Enns Courts apartments are an extension of Eden Health Care’s ‘Housing and Supports’ program.  For more information click HERE.

Photo by T. Klassen Photography

Come and be a part of the journey and the continuing story of Tractor Trek.  You can download a registration form and more information below.

(Registration form download.)