The Lakeland Rustlers are asking for help from the Lloydminster community in supporting the people affected by the wildfires in Australia.
At their games on Saturday, January 11, the team will have a donation box to collect money to aid in the relief of the Australian wildfires. The funds will go straight to the Australian Red Cross Disaster relief and recovery program.
Ryan van Oosterwijk and the Rustlers men’s volleyball team organized the fundraiser. The cause hits close to home for Oosterwijk as he is from Melbourne, Australia.
“I’m lucky that my family aren’t too close to it. [The bushfires] are about seven hours away from my family but at the same time, you still feel helpless. There have been about 15.6 million acres lost of land and there have been an estimated one billion animals that have died.”
The bushfires have burned across the country since September, killing 24 people and destroying over 1,000 homes.
“Come to the game and help support us. The donation box will be at the front desk. Any amount of money, small or big, will go a long way.”
The Rustlers will be hosting the Concordia Thunder at Lakeland College on Saturday. The women’s game starts at 6 p.m. and the men’s at 8 p.m.