Curling for a Cure prepares to host first-ever banquet and seventh annual event

By Casper Wehrhahn

It may seem hard to believe, but February is already right around the corner. With the impendin

It may seem hard to believe, but February is already right around the corner. With the impending change of months, curlers in the area are getting ready to ‘hurry hard’ on the ice for a home-grown charitable initiative. This is the seventh annual Curling for a Cure, and the second in its major 10 year donation commitment to Neepawa.

A chance to connect

Kicking off this initiative early for 2026, the organization is hosting its first ever Curling for a Cure banquet. The banquet will be hosted at Brews Brothers in Neepawa on Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m. and includes a live auction.

“For us this was a chance to get the Neepawa Community a little more involved in curling for a cure. With donating half our profits there every year, we thought it would be fun to do an event there, share the story of our event and get to meet some people in the community,” said Chad Yanchycki, Curling for a Cure event organizer. “We have some amazing prizes for our live auction which we are excited about!”

One hundred per cent of proceeds from both the banquet in Neepawa and the main event in Minnedosa will be donated. Funds will be split 50/50 between the Neepawa Cancer Care Program and the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Group.

Spots for the banquet are limited, with 60 tickets up for sale.

Yanchycki noted that while ticket sales have been slower than expected, the team is hoping for a successful event with the potential to host more in the future.

“I encourage people to come out and support the event. Last year, we donated a little over $20,000 to the Neepawa Community Cancer Care Program which helped purchase a new fleet of treatment chairs,” said Yanchycki. “That’s our goal every year, is to get that amount or more. We’d love to make this [banquet] something we do every year, but we gotta make sure it’s well attended and successful first!”

Further information on the banquet can be found on Curling for a Cure’s social media, and tickets can be purchased by contacting Chad Yanchycki via curlingforacure@gmail.com or 204-871-3344.

g change of months, curlers in the area are getting ready to ‘hurry hard’ on the ice for a home-grown charitable initiative. This is the seventh annual Curling for a Cure, and the second in its major 10 year donation commitment to Neepawa.

A chance to connect

Kicking off this initiative early for 2026, the organization is hosting its first ever Curling for a Cure banquet. The banquet will be hosted at Brews Brothers in Neepawa on Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m. and includes a live auction.

“For us this was a chance to get the Neepawa Community a little more involved in curling for a cure. With donating half our profits there every year, we thought it would be fun to do an event there, share the story of our event and get to meet some people in the community,” said Chad Yanchycki, Curling for a Cure event organizer. “We have some amazing prizes for our live auction which we are excited about!”

One hundred per cent of proceeds from both the banquet in Neepawa and the main event in Minnedosa will be donated. Funds will be split 50/50 between the Neepawa Cancer Care Program and the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Group.

Spots for the banquet are limited, with 60 tickets up for sale.

Yanchycki noted that while ticket sales have been slower than expected, the team is hoping for a successful event with the potential to host more in the future.

“I encourage people to come out and support the event. Last year, we donated a little over $20,000 to the Neepawa Community Cancer Care Program which helped purchase a new fleet of treatment chairs,” said Yanchycki. “That’s our goal every year, is to get that amount or more. We’d love to make this [banquet] something we do every year, but we gotta make sure it’s well attended and successful first!”

Further information on the banquet can be found on Curling for a Cure’s social media, and tickets can be purchased by contacting Chad Yanchycki via curlingforacure@gmail.com or 204-871-3344.

Curling for a Cure’s biggest

event yet

The organizing committee certainly has its hands full. One week later, from Feb. 12 through 15, the main event– Curling for a Cure– will be hosted at the Minnedosa Curling Club.

With these dates fast approaching, Yanchycki highlighted the organizing team’s enthusiasm heading into 2026.

“We feel great! We are very excited for it. We’ve been sold out since last February with a waiting list of teams,” Yanchycki enthused, noting that the sell-out occurred within mere hours of the 2026 event’s launch.

Curling for a Cure’s biggest

event yet

The organizing committee certainly has its hands full. One week later, from Feb. 12 through 15, the main event– Curling for a Cure– will be hosted at the Minnedosa Curling Club.

With these dates fast approaching, Yanchycki highlighted the organizing team’s enthusiasm heading into 2026.

“We feel great! We are very excited for it. We’ve been sold out since last February with a waiting list of teams,” Yanchycki enthused, noting that the sell-out occurred within mere hours of the 2026 event’s launch.

Curling for a Cure has been a 24 team event for the past several years. That number has been increased to 32 teams for 2026, making it the charitable organization’s largest event yet.

“It was incredible to sell out as fast as we did, but it’s a testament to how much fun Curling for a Cure is and the amazing group of people that support it every year,” said Yanchycki. “I feel we have truly built an amazing community of people around this event who pencil it in to come back every year. It’s a lot of fun and something that we are so proud of.”

Yanchycki stressed that all are welcome to attend and support the event. The games are all open for public viewing, and additional ways to contribute to Curling for a Cure will also be available at the venue.

“We have amazing prizes that people are going to want to come check out, bid on, and come out to support,” said Yanchycki.

He added, “We also have live entertainment on Friday night from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. We encourage everyone to come check it out, even if not curling!”

Curling events will kick off at 5:00 p.m. on Friday (three draws), 8:00 a.m. on Saturday (ending around 10:00 p.m.), and 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. Sunday will also feature a horserace draw to the button, and the final draw will take place around 6:30 p.m. following a cheque presentation.

Sharing a final comment, Yanchycki extended a word of gratitude on behalf of Curling for a Cure, stating, “We just want to thank everyone for the continued support. To the people who attend, the people who curl, the businesses that sponsor and donate… Without all these amazing people and business none of this would be possible. Let’s make 2026 our biggest event yet!”