Employees of the Spread 5A Trans Mountain Expansion Project have donated to the Sr. Girls Provincial Volleyball Tournament. The donation will help with the costs to run the event in December.
On Thursday, September 29, 2022, Surerus Murphy Joint Venture, Indigenous and Community Affairs Manager, Adrian Wall and employee representative, Derek Pickford visited Merritt Secondary School to present a cheque worth $5000.
“This donation is through some of our employee fundraising,” explained Wall. “This was just brought to my attention, that there is a need for some sponsorship with this. We reviewed the request and made the decision to go ahead and support it.”
Wall was made aware of the funding needs of the Provincials through a connection with Sponsorship Chair, Nicole Mackay-Smith.
“We are thrilled with the donation,” she exclaimed. “I think our committee initially was just hoping to get gym sponsorships that are more in the $1000 – $2000 range. We did discuss that if an opportunity presented itself, finding a sponsor, then that would be ideal so we are just thrilled of how this opportunity played out for us.”
The unexpected amount will help with the different costs that come with running the Provincials, such as gym costs, banquet costs, food and lodging for paid positions such as referees.
“It’s really just a way of us to look at the project’s overall impact with the community,” said Wall, explaining the donations.
“We know we’re bringing jobs, we know we’re bringing in a lot of procurement opportunities but we want to things like donate to the community and try to leave it a little better than when we arrived.”
Surerus Murphy Joint Venture have collaborated with Trans Mountain for their expansion project. Spread 5A is the section of the pipeline that Sereus Murphy is currently constructing. The project spans from Black Pines all the way to the Coquihalla Summit, reaching 185 kilometres long. Employees involved with the project have made the donations possible through their fundraising efforts.
“This is truly a partnership between the employees of both companies, as well as employees from the subcontractors working with us on the project,” said Wall.
“I think the tournament will help bring a lot of people together that wouldn’t necessarily come to Merritt Secondary. I also think when kids see the support of the community, that helps them feel a sense of belonging at the school and in their community which is really great.”
Earlier this year it was announced that Merritt Secondary School will be the host of the Sr. Girls Provincial Volleyball Tournament. The 16-team tournament will take place at three different locations; Merritt Secondary School, Coquihalla Middle School, and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. The Provincials are set to begin on Dec 1, 2022.
