Local athletes and celebrities will become short-term bakers at Tim Horton's this week as they help craft and sell Smile Cookies for a cause close to their hearts.

The annual cookie campaign launched yesterday at Swift Current's three locations with local proceeds going towards the Southwest Facility Foundation.

Swift Current Mayor Al Bridal was joined by members of the Swift Current Wildcats at the downtown location this morning. He said the last time he'd done something similar was in the late 1990s.

"Smile Cookies are great every year but for this year the money is going towards our foundation to build an aquatic centre and a new fieldhouse," he said. "It's local and I'm excited about it. We have so many other people excited about it, so I want to be involved.

"We've got grade 11 and eight Wildcat players and seeing how hard they're working. Putting those smiles on the cookie and the eyes, it's a lot harder than you think." 

According to the Southwest Facility Foundations website, they've raised over $915,000. However, that figure is excluding the Newton donation and the Gala's revenue pushing the mark north of $1 million raised in the past year.

"Our higher levels of government are looking for community involvement (financially)," he said. "When I say community involvement, just not cities or towns but they want foundation and money coming from other places other than just the tax base."  

Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley, Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP Jeremy Patzer, Swift Current City RCMP Staff Sergeant Evan Gordon, Great Plains President and CEO Brad Mahon, and Chinook School Division Director of Education Mark Benesh will also be helping out with Smile Cookies from Wednesday to Saturday.