MANITOBA BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT
This was another eventful year for the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum (MBHOFM). The opening and continued development of our new site in the Duckworth Centre at the University of Winnipeg has been a huge success. The following were the highlights :
- the new site was officially opened on April 21, 2015 and, at the same time, we announced our 2015 Hall of Fame inductees
- from the opening date to April 29, 2016, we recorded 18,163 visitors ; this is a huge increase over our past numbers
- our 15th induction dinner was held on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at the Victoria Inn where Earnest Bell, Terry Garrow and Erin Soroko-Drazic (players), Coleen Dufresne, Hymie Fox, Maureen Orchard and Ralph Watts (builders) and the 1975, 1976 & 1978 Lord Selkirk Royals Varsity Girls and the 1977, 1978, 1979 & 1981 Lord Selkirk Royals Varsity Boys (teams) were inducted
- at the dinner a new record was set with 276 in attendance
- the continued inventory of our holdings labeling and recording more photographs
- the development and display of a photo array of action or game photos – 29 in total
- the replacement of the drawers under the five display cabinets giving us much more storage space and raising the cabinets for easier viewing
- we continued to get great support in our on-going fundraising campaign with our honoured members and friends through the National Sports Trust Fund (NSTF)
- we were successful in our application for a grant from Western Economic Diversification Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program in the amount of $4000.00
- we continued as a Level 1 Museum by the Community Museum Grants Program which results in financial support of $1350.00
- we added two new members to our volunteer organizing committee with Carol Ploen-Hosegood and Ken Opalko officially joining us
Our MBHOFM is open every day during the year with the exception of statutory holidays. It is open from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily.
For 2016 the following are planned :
- the continued development of our Hall of Fame and Museum site
- to continue the video interviews of all honoured members
- 4 new TV video monitors (two as replacements and two new)
In conclusion, we need to mention the tremendous on-going support we get from the University of Winnipeg. Manitoba is the only province in Canada that has a permanent home for a Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum and ours would not exist without this support and the support of our extended basketball community through Basketball Manitoba.
Respectfully submitted by
Ross Wedlake, Chair, MBHOFM