While Macklin boasts big home lotto winner, the community say they are the winners

MACKLIN — Donna Lynn McIntyre was the talk of the town when it was announced that she and husband were the big winners of the Saskatoon Hospital Home Lottery.

However, numerous community members say this was a well-deserved win as McIntyre is a big part of many aspects of Macklin and often doesn’t get to experience much downtime, acknowledgement or recognition that she deserves for her continued community commitment.

McIntyre is from Wilkie and married her husband Don in 1986. The couple has two children, Ashley, and Catlin as well as a granddaughter Collins and a son-in-law Jessey. 

While the recent lotto win might have brought her notoriety to the forefront, residents say the time and effort she has committed to three aspects of the community are what has made the whole town the winners.

McIntyre is the operations supervisor at the Macklin Swimming Pool and was a big part of the fundraising efforts to build the new pool, and she continues in this role today.

 “I grew up in Wilkie so as kids we spent a great deal of time at the pool,” says McIntyre when asked why she has passionately committed to this community recreation venue.

“Moving to Macklin, they did not have a pool. My kids did lessons at the lake and once the kids were older, we drove to Provost for lessons. We also did lessons at Unity and one summer at Wilkie. When the kids were small, I bought an above-ground pool … We purchased a used gas pool heater and utilized it for about 15 years with kids swimming, as their children’s friends and neighbours enjoyed their backyard pool, with the mom’s lifeguarding.”

McIntyre said she always felt bad when kids would ride down their alley and peer longingly through their fence at kids who were enjoying that swimming pool.

She broached the subject on a camping trip with friends in 2005 and asked their thoughts and input on building a swimming pool in Macklin and thus the initiative was born.

A group of interested people were assembled, and a feasibility study took place that included feedback from the community through a questionnaire. The response was many in favour of building a pool in Mackln, and so it began.

McIntyre said that while there was some pushback experience from several community members who did not believe a pool was needed, their fundraising group stubbornly and determinedly forged ahead.

The first meeting was held Sept. 6, 2005 and included Valerie Heintz, Michelle Munro, Janice McDonald, Andree Bolton, Carol Ann Moss, Wendy Scheck, Jennifer Arlitt, Alicia Putz, Jim Kowalski, Andi Folk, Tara Weinkauf, Lori Cosh, Jane Lock, Theresa Bast, Joanne Baier, Cathy Steinhubel, Becky Beckley, Carrie Shapka, Krista Gurney, Lori Ellwood, Kyley Erker, Brenna Ekstrand, Jennifer Jensen, Connie Deck and Tina Smith. Members changed over the years and after this initial meeting, the fundraising frenzy began.

Knowing that big bucks were needed to complete their goal, several fundraisers were held at the hall that included “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” spring fling, and new year’s dances. The group also held beer gardens at the diamonds for events and a booth at the World Champion Bunnock Tournament. 

Kids wholeheartedly embraced the fundraising efforts holding several wake-a-thons and car washes. Big concerts were held which included big-ticket bands like Harlequin, Prism, Trooper, and April Wine.  

“In 2007 we started a corporate mailer for donations,” adds McIntyre. 

The group also began a recycling program in May of 2008 and a vacation lotto ticket blitz started in 2009. To date, these are the remaining two fundraisers the pool group holds.

McIntyre said the group received a grant of $250,000 in 2009 and the work began on pool, site and building plans. The acceptance of the applied grant came with a deadline to build the pool, so work had to get started.

More members came on board, including Teresa Bast, Rudolph Stang, Craig Ekstrand, Rob Degenstein, Murray Weinkauf, Pat Stang, Robin Cosh, Al Klemky, Lorne Putz, Terry Gramlich, Jackie Golden, Don Golden, Rod Soderlund, Bill Scheck, Kevin Fisher, Josh Kirzinger and Chris Weinkauf.

As funds were not in place to build the proposed building, it was suggested the group build it themselves and in the power of community camaraderie and volunteer showmanship, it was constructed on weekends.

McIntyre affirms that many volunteers also assisted Western Recreation who built the existing pool. 

After many hours and months of fundraising and investment of time and sweat equity, Macklin’s pool opened in July of 2011.

“I lived three doors down from the pool and every spring when it would open, my heart would be bursting when I would see kids walk or bike down with the towels slung over their shoulders as that is how I grew up,” says McIntyre.

McIntyre is still a part of the board and sits on the operations committee.

Current volunteer board members are Josh Kirzinger, Robin Cosh, Tara Weinkauf, Jackie Golden, Chrystal Legge, Brianne Reinbold, Stephanie Hauck, Teresa Bast, Brad Bogen Carol Ann Moss, Cathy Steinhubel and Alicia Putz. Jim Kowalski and Kevin Fisher are the town reps.

“To this day, we are a privately run pool.”

Community members say this is not the only aspect of their community they are grateful for. McIntyre was also instrumental in making cross-country ski trails part of the recreation options in Macklin.

“I started skiing about 10 years ago,” McIntyre says. “

A couple of my friends (Shirley Gerein, Karen Stang) had skis and talked me into trying them out.  My first time out we were on the golf course. I went down an ice hill and fell on my tailbone. I absolutely hated it.”

As this dedicated community volunteer learned to love outdoor activity and sport, she became part of making trails with just skiers’ skis. However, being on the golf course, they would always blow in.

Several years ago, a neighbour of McIntyre, Doug Stang, made a homemade tracker. McIntyre bought a snowmobile to pull it with and volunteers including herself started making trails down in the Macklin Regional Park, however not many seemed to know about it.

McIntyre says.

McIntyre says she brought up the idea of a ski club when she realized the school had ski equipment and it wasn’t necessarily a big hit with the kids. The school donated the equipment and thus began the Macklin Cross-Country Ski Club. Equipment is being rented out, available out of McIntyre’s garage so that more people can take up the opportunity to cross-country ski.

Familiar with fundraisers, McIntyre and supporters sent out some letters for fundraising for a professional trail groomer and funds were raised. When a new tracker arrived, they were $1,000 short of their goal so Doug and Petra graciously paid the remainder with hopes of rentals paying off the remainder.

Personal donations and funding from the Macklin Wildlife Association have greatly helped out with paying off the equipment. Equipment was rented out 123 times this past season meaning that McIntyre’s diligence was paying off.

Donna is part of the community’s theatre group. She was in three productions in the past and in 2023 her husband joined three weeks before the performance, becoming the guitar player in the Queen production.

 “I never really thought about it,” McIntyre says of her volunteerism.

“I don’t really see myself as a dedicated volunteer. There are lots of dedicated volunteers in our community. I guess I like to share the things that bring me joy. Even though some take years of hard work.”

McIntyre says she feels everyone should volunteer at some point as that is how things get done.