“I have known Grant all my life. He was one of the most caring people, always putting others first. The Cougars were no exception,” explained Butler.
“They were his passion. He made sure the players and coaches were looked after. Always. I had two boys go through the system and I co-managed for one of those years and if ever there was something needed Grant made sure it was there. His smile and laughter was infectious. He is missed in so many ways, by his friends, in our community and in our family.”
That’s the sentiment shared by many people who wanted to do something that would allow Grant’s memory to carry on. They did that by making donations.
Ken Pringle from Pringles’ Sports Excellence in Boissevain has a long time connection to the Cougars and wanted to do something to memorialize Grant as well. He came up with a plan to create a special edition Southwest Cougars hat with a “Moff Memorial” logo, with profits from the sale of these hats donated to Southwest U18 Cougars. Close to 250 hats were pre-ordered during this fundraiser.
Several other people, including Tammy Olson from Deloraine, realized that with so much support in Grant’s memory, more could be done for the future. Olson reached out to Grant’s son Todd, and from there, the memorial fund was born.
“When Tammy contacted me with the idea of forming a memorial fund for dad, I thought it was a great idea,” commented Todd Moffatt from his office in Winnipeg on December 8. “How we would do that and what it would look like wasn’t something we were sure of but we knew it was important to move forward as soon as we could.”
Moffatt says that they have formed a board of five people including Tammy Olson, Deanna Kowalchuk  of Souris, Dale Lewis of Virden, Ken Pringle of Boissevain, and himself. Each one of the five has a strong personal connection to the Cougar organization. The fund has an official name but they are waiting for registration before making that announcement. Once the fund is up and running, they will be able to issue tax receipts to those who wish to make a donation. Moffatt believes, and hopes that the fund will grow quickly once they establish connections to the Cougar alumni.
“There are 469 Cougar alumni that we are reaching out to, hoping that they will come on board with financial support,” he stated. “With the donations we have, and the alumni supporting us with a yearly commitment, we hope to help many individuals and eventually sports organizations down the road.”
The fund isn’t limited to just alumni. Moffatt says anyone wishing to be part of the memorial fund in Grant’s name can do so, either a one-time donation or an annual contribution.
To begin with, the memorial fund will be directed at assisting the team with costs, such as purchasing concussion proof helmets or new gloves as a way of ensuring the players are well protected. However, the bulk of the fund will be directed to post secondary education for players. This is the immediate goal but Moffatt says long term, he can see it expanding to support sports in the entire southwest region of Manitoba.
“This is our wish but it all depends on income of course,” he remarked. “Everything is COVID-19 related. If we can get out next summer to host a golf tournament or other fundraising activity we will do that.”
Moffatt says that the actual launch, again COVID-19 dependent, will be next season mid December 2021 during the home and home games with the U18 Brandon Wheat Kings. “There’s always been a good rivalry there and I think dad would like that,” he said.
Stay tuned for more details of the memorial fund currently being established in Grant Moffatt’s name.

by DARCI SEMESCHUK, Recorder Staff