The Haunted Town of Lil Sur-Mer has raised over $24,000 for local groups and organizations, simply by scaring the wits out of regulars and newcomers alike. 

On Saturday, the folks behind the biggest Halloween attraction in the southwest held a pizza party and cheque presentation ceremony. 11 local organizations benefitted from the haunted town’s fundraising, filling much of the need for funding in programs like the cadets, the Center, the Community Fridge and many more.  

Andy Keys, co-creator and president of the Haunted Town of Lil Sur-Mer proudly presented 11 cheques to many different groups and organizations. 

“It looks like we had just over 60 people, including cheque recipients; we gave out a total of 12 cheques there probably just over $24,000,” Keys explained. “I think it's just a bonus for them. People like to see that their money is going to worthy causes. There are so many different worthy causes out there, it doesn't matter what they are. We don't stipulate that you have to be a charity, we just want people to apply on our website. You can just be a group that does that, does good within the Community.” 

Much of the fundraising came from people involved with certain organizations volunteering at the Haunted Town of Lil Sur-Mer. By generating their own funds through the haunted town, the volunteers use it as an opportunity to bring fun and joy into the community at the same time. 

“They were just a fantastic help when we were out there and took a lot of weight off our people as the nights progressed,” stated Keys. “Our board got together and said, we would like to do something for the Ashley Park playground project, now we know that they have to raise somewhere in the region of $100,000... We think it's better just to share the wealth. It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling to actually give away money, especially when there's so many people who need stuff or need money to fund programs. We thought it's best to diversify instead of just giving one group a whole lump.” 

The following is a list of the cheques presented during the ceremony over the weekend. 

Air Cadets – $1,456.67 

Navy League - $816.67 

Silver Wings Access Van - $5,000 

Ashley Park Playground -$5,000, later $600 more 

River Hills First Responders - $1,000 

Penner Petterson Cat Colony - $1,000 

The Center - $1,380 

Scouts - $2,000 

Swift Current Community Frigde - $2,000 

Lii Bufloo Metis Group - $2,000