USW Local 2724 title sponsor of Community Strong Festival

USW Local 2724 has been announced as the Title Sponsor of the 2nd annual Community Strong Festival (CSF) planned for the June 24-25 weekend. 

The CSF event is designed to raise desperately needed funds and bring awareness to physical and mental health issues in our community. 

“Local 2724 is proud to once again team up with Sonny, Gail and the YMCA to support the Community Strong Festival. We feel this event is incredible not only to raise awareness on mental health but to also bring our community together. We are excited to see this event grow and are so proud to be a part of it,” Melissa McMaster, Recording Secretary & Donations Chair at USW Local 2724 said in a news release.

The event will consist of a variety of races over the course of the weekend as well as many family activities including a marathon, half-marathon, 10km, 5km colour run and for those ready to test their abilities a BP61km run in Sault Ste. Marie on June 24-25 at the Canal District. A new addition this year is the DU 283! DU283 is a series of duathlons totaling 283km. 

In the summer of 2010 Sonny Spina, Gail Provenzano and her family met when Gail’s son, 15-year-old Brett lost his life after a brief struggle with his own mental health. Sonny, one of the responding police officers at the time, became instantly and forever connected with Gail and the Provenzano family. Gail wanted to find a way to celebrate Brett’s life, give back to the community and reach other kids who may be struggling to let them know where and how to find help. 

Early in 2022, Gail, Sonny and the AFS Foundation joined with the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA to bring Sault Ste. Marie the first annual CSF. A festival not only to celebrate the lives of those lost but to engage our community, link the benefits of physical and mental health and raise much-needed funds to help those still struggling. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering again with USW Local 2724 to bring the CSF event to our community. This generous $20,000 sponsorship and their support will be invaluable to us as we strive to grow the CSF event. Thank you USW Local 2724, we truly appreciate your commitment to helping children and families in our community,” said Gail Provenzano, CSF Ambassador. 

All monies collected will remain local and be shared equally between the AFS Foundation and the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA. Research has proven that early intervention and treatment are critical to providing a hopeful and healthy future for all of our community's children.

Every year in Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma district there are thousands of children who struggle with their mental health and can't access basic recreation. 

Various levels of sponsorship are available. For a list of sponsorship opportunities, please contact Natasha Collett at (705) 945-5718 ext. 232 or natasha.collett@ssmymca.ca. 

To register for the event, visit this link.  

For more information, visit Facebook (Community Strong Festival) and Instagram (SaultStrong).