When it comes to generosity and caring, the people in the Valley are top-notch in those two categories. There have been many charitable causes that people have raised funds for on a local level that have been a tremendous success. Bowsman School student Letti Zwarich, daughter of Darcy and Chelsea Zwarich, donated her hair in a braid to Angel Hair for Kids.
Angel Hair for Kids is a special program that provides wigs and hair loss solutions to financially disadvantaged children in Canada who lost their hair due to a medical condition or treatment. Letti felt that this was a good charity to support and help other kids.
“Letti was wanting a haircut, quite short, so I mentioned that maybe if she was cutting it all off she could donate it,” said Chelsea Zwarich. “ This opened the door for discussion. We did some research together and she knew instantly that was what she wanted to do.
“My friend’s daughters had donated their hair in the past, so I reached out to her to inquire which organization they had chosen and why. We decided to support this specific organization because it is for children, and each recipient gets a personal appointment at a salon specializing in wigs and hair loss to make it their own. Letti thought that was really fun and special!
“This is the first time she has done this,” said Chelsea. “She’s always had long hair. Letti donated a total of 13 inches; the required length for this organization is 12 inches. Her hair was about 24 inches long before the cut.”
“It feels good to know that I could help another kid get a wig and feel good about themselves,” said Letti.
Many of the staff and students at Bowsman School pooled donations for Loonies for Letti and a total of $387 was collected just at the school. Other community members also responded by giving donations to the worthy cause.
“A total of $1,500 was raised between friends, family, the school and community members,” said Chelsea. “ There were several online donations as well that were made, but we were not notified of the amount of those donations, just that they were given. The money sent along with the hair will go towards making a wig. It takes $2,500 to make just one.
“The support has been far more than anticipated. Friends, family, community members, staff and students from Bowsman School have made some really generous donations. We certainly didn’t expect it to reach this many people, but we’re always amazed at how the community, our family and friends come through!
“We mailed the hair and donations on Friday, March 7, that being the final day for donations,” said Chelsea.
This was such a wonderful experience for Letti and having the community support her in this cause has left an impact on her. She is planning on doing this again.
“Letti would absolutely do this again,” said Chelsea. “She’s already decided as soon as her hair is long enough, she wants to do it again.”

This coming Saturday, March 8, is known as International Women’s Day. There is an upcoming rising star who’s determination on the pitching mound is driving a bright future for this well-accomplished female athlete. Sally Leask, daughter of Patrick and Courtney Leask, has a world of opportunity on the pitching mound, with more yet to come. As a youth, Leask was involved in softball from an early onset and it has been opening doors and opportunities for her ever since. She plays with three teams right now, U18 Mission Gold Team, Twos Fast Pitch and Layne’s Stars. Leask has travelled all over Canada and the U.S. to play in tournaments with these teams.
“I had a pretty solid couple of tournaments with the U18 Mission Gold Team,” said Leask. “We played around the Minneapolis area and did well. It’s a close-knit team with very good coaching staff. We all came together and were able to win a couple of games. The team is now very close and I can’t wait to play with them for this upcoming season. It’s a really good community and I like the team so far.
“I played a tournament in Missouri with Team Toba called the Land of the Ozarks Tournament. It was here that I felt I had my best game so far. I pitched a no-hitter with Team Toba and felt that was my greatest game from the fall to now. I’ve actually pitched a couple of perfect games before this one and I’m really proud of that accomplishment.
“Recently, we went to Las Vegas at the end of January,” said Leask. “We had a national coach for the U18 team along with really strong coaching staff. Players from different provinces came together to form the Twos Fast Pitch Team and we won gold. We were up against a bunch of American teams that had been playing together all season and we went undefeated in that tournament. It’s the first time that the program won gold in that tournament. It was a great accomplishment, not only for the program but the team, to make that our goal. I also pitched a perfect game during this tournament as well.
“Now my focus is Twos Fast Pitch, Mission, and my Layne’s Stars Team.”
Leask follows a strict regime and focuses a lot of training during the off-season. This is her first time playing ball in the winter and her hard work has paid off.
“Usually my ball season wraps up around September and then there’s dome ball,” said Leask. “I was in Minnesota where I played a game of dome ball in the University of Minnesota’s dome. It was a cool experience and we did well. It was nice to get back with the team as I haven’t seen them since this fall.
“I noticed the hard work has paid off. I’ve been training very hard with another friend who attends my school. I’ve been going to the gym in the off-season and I need to get stronger for those upcoming games ahead. Hopefully, this upcoming summer, I can accomplish my goals that I set for myself.
“I wake up at 5 a.m. every morning and prioritize my morning routine and having a good night’s sleep,” said Leask. “I train three days a week with a personal trainer and two days a week with my parents at a public gym. The workouts I do with my personal trainer are very intense, and this is my second year of doing circuits and conditioning. I’m grateful for my trainers, but it’s been difficult so far. However, I’m still into doing it. I’ve seen my velocity increase for pitching and my power in batting. It’s paying off and that’s why I like pushing myself harder to get in that extra rep or minute, because I know it will pay off in the long run. I’m doing this for the love of the game.”
Leask is also honing in on her pitching abilities, in terms of speed, velocity and consistency overall.
“At the U17 AAA Provincial Championship in July 2024, I was clocked at pitching 63 miles per hour,” said Leask. “I haven’t clocked since but am hoping to do so again this spring. My goal is to consistently hit 65 miles per hour and plus, but consistently. I also have my rise ball and drop ball that I want to stay consistent with those pitches as well with the velocity of them.”
Leask is very dedicated to her studies and has big ambitions for her future in the medical field. She recently signed with Rider University in New Jersey to play ball with the Broncs for four years. If that offer wasn’t big enough, Leask is still getting more opportunities coming her way.
“I attend Churchill High School and will be finishing my grade 12 at the end of June,” said Leask. “From there, I will be rolling into ball season and am looking forward to it.
“After graduation, I plan to major in biology and from there go into medical school or see the different careers I can pursue with my biology degree, but something in the medical field what I have been interested in. I’m in a medical program right now where I go to hospitals, research centres and different care facilities every other week. I learned more about different careers and caring for patients. I sat in and watched live surgeries, learned how to administer IVs or casts and x-rays.
“I just found out when I was playing with Mission, I got the opportunity to play for Team Netherlands as an import, and will be competing at the International level,” said Leask. “The tournament is called the Triple Crown International Challenge and it’s going to be in Colorado. I will be missing my graduation ceremony to be at the Triple Crown International Challenge, but I received this incredible opportunity and decided to take it. So, experiencing a graduation ceremony will be the one thing I will be missing out on.
“I’m pumped about this and it’s my motivation to train hard, graduate and have a full competitive season of softball. There has been a lot of new opportunities since last summer. All these tournaments and new opportunities have been incredible and I’m excited for the summer.
“This summer, I plan to attend tournaments in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, through U18 Team Mission Gold,” said Leask. “While playing in Vegas, I had a well-pitched game and hitting, and was asked to play at the PGF Nationals in California. I was asked to play with the U18 Las Vegas Team, which is being coached by a Team Canada alumni. I am waiting on confirmation dates for that tournament.”
Leask is fortunate that her family is very supportive of her through a very hectic and demanding ball schedule that has them travelling all over. She is grateful to have them there for her while she takes to the mound in some pretty heavy-hitting tournaments.
“My parents and brother are there every game, every inning, even practices,” said Leask. “My family supports me the entire time and I’m thankful for them and what they do for me. It isn’t just me, but it takes my whole family to make me into a better athlete.
“It can be nerve-wracking, but I have full faith in myself, in what I am doing and in my mindset. I have it in my mindset to do well, and my parents have prepped me mentally and physically for that as well. I know that I have that support system too in my parents, teammates, coaches and friends. I’m glad I have Mission, Twos Fast Pitch and Layne’s Stars teams for that as well.”
Some other notable tournaments and opportunities Leask has coming up this year have her more than eager for summer to come.
“I will be attending Canadian Natives, which will be hosted in Manitoba this year. I will be playing with the Layne’s Stars team for that tournament. This should be my strongest year of ball this year.
“My next goal is to prepare for Team Canada tryouts, which are this summer. I hope to have a good rookie season with the Broncs.”

Many families have created legacies within the Swan Valley based on their contributions, time and effort given to projects they are most passionate about. For Carolyn and the late Harvey Baldwin, skiing was something that brought them together and a sport they shared with their family and generations to come.
“When I moved to Swan River in the mid 70’s, what drew me the most to Thunderhill Ski Club was its beauty and that it was not far from my doorstep,” said Carolyn Baldwin. “After a few years of skiing, I decided to join the board in the late 70’s. It was just a small club at that time.
“It was on the slopes where I first met Harvey and well, that’s a story in itself. Our family grew, when we had two girls, LeeAnne and Lana. The Thunderhill Ski Club was our family time, where they learned to ski, work, and volunteer. Now I am enjoying teaching my 2-year-old grandson Coulter to ski.”
Both Carolyn and Harvey were active in the Thunderhill Ski Club. They both saw many positive changes and expansion of the facility over the years.
“Being part of the Thunderhill Ski Club board for 40 plus years and managing day-to-day operations for approximately 25 years, I have seen many changes and projects,” said Baldwin. “The Chalet expanding, the new shop installed, and new slopes being developed.
“The biggest project of my time was upgrading the T-bar. 2011 began the long project of installing the Brandson Express and JB Construction lifts. Harvey came on board helping with the installation and moved to being the hill manager.”
Carolyn accredits Thunderhill Ski Resort’s growth to all the people who worked there together to make things happen. Everyone pitched in to get things done and helped it to grow into what it has become today.
“In all the years I have been with Thunderhill Ski Club and the projects I worked on, the one thing I know is it’s the team that makes it happen,” said Carolyn. “Thunderhill Ski Club has a big team behind it.
“Throughout the time I managed the hill, I always had an awesome team supporting me, from staff to board members and volunteers. I was so grateful to have that support.”
Recently the Thunderhill Ski Club presented a special tribute to the Baldwin family and their efforts to help the facility improve and grow. One of the ski runs has been named after them and will be there for all to enjoy as much as the Baldwins have enjoyed skiing.
“It is an honor to Harvey, myself and our daughters to recently have Homeward Bound renamed to Baldwin’s Bend,” said Carolyn. “As well as being recognized along with those who have come before us and those who will continue the legacy of Thunderhill Ski Club.”