Eighteen skips led their teams in the annual Rockin' the House curling bonspiel supporting the work of Breaking Down Barriers in Simcoe, Grey and Bruce Counties this weekend.
For 16 years, the curling event has been the signature fundraiser for the winter season for Breaking Down Barriers, a Collingwood-based charity supporting people with disabilities through in-person and virtual independent living skill programs, peer support activities, and more.
The bonspiel took place at the Collingwood Curling Club on Saturday, March 1, with 18 teams playing two games each in two draws.
Fundraising chair and board member Sandy McAuliffe expects the event to bring in between $15,000 and $20,000.
"We're very humbled by the generosity," said McAuliffe, noting the event and charity receives support from area businesses, curlers, sponsors and volunteers.
"They say ... 'it takes a village,' and we see that village every time we have an event," said Teresa Gal, executive director of Breaking Down Barriers.
The organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and the 16th anniversary of the Rockin' The House bonspiel, which included some wheelchair and adaptive curlers.
That's one of the reasons the organization chose curling as the activity for the annual fundraiser.
Curling was one of the earlier activities offered through Breaking Down Barriers because of the flexibility of the sport to be adapted to accommodate physical disabilities.
In addition to the games on Saturday, the event also included a silent auction and other fundraising opportunities, plenty of food for participants and lots of social time.
The next major fundraising event for Breaking Down Barriers will be the Bowling Down Barriers event in the fall.
Breaking Down Barriers serves about 3,500 people on a yearly basis through the virtual and in-person programs.
There are programs, activities and funding available without a waiting list through Breaking Down Barriers for people living with disabilities. Gal encourages people to reach out to find out what programs and services are available via the Breaking Down Barriers website.