A generous donation with ties to the theatre’s past has all but ensured the Roxy’s future in Neepawa. Members of the Neepawa Theatre Centre (NTC) group traveled to Winnipeg recently and received a generous $10,000 donation in the name of Gail Asper and Michael Paterson of The Gail Asper Family Foundation. The new donation puts fundraising efforts for the Roxy Theatre’s upgrades at $85,000, well within reaching distance of the $100,000 plus taxes the NTC anticipates it will need for the upgrades. “We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel,” NTC member Marilyn Dietrich said following the historic donation. “We’re full steam ahead, and we’re looking at quotes now.” While the $10,000 donation is in itself an amazing thing for Neepawa and its theatre, the reason behind the support is just as intriguing. In the 1930s, the Roxy Theatre was created following a conversion to the Opera House. Leon Asper purchased the building and converted the Opera House into a “sleek” and up-to-date motion picture theatre to “get with the times”. “When Asper was alive he had a soft spot for Neepawa,” former NTC member Brian Bailey said in an earlier interview. “He said that if anyone ever had an idea to put a wrecking ball to the Roxy, to let him know.” The family has since proven true to Asper’s words, donating a new screen in the early 1990s, and now again showing their support with a $10,000 contribution toward the Roxy’s digital upgrades. “My father and grandparents spent many happy years at the Roxy and they would be delighted to know the community still values the theatre as much as they did,” Gail Asper of The Gail Asper Family Foundation said in a letter. “I know how much effort it takes to ensure that artistic venues are maintained and I simply wanted to thank all the members of the campaign team for working hard to make the necessary repairs in order to keep the Roxy open and benefitting the community. “I am pleased to support the campaign with a gift of $10,000 and hope that you are able to reach your campaign goal and ensure that the Roxy Theatre in Neepawa flourishes for many years to come.” As for the NTC members, the continued support from the Asper family, as well as from the community, has them excited and ready to start setting dates and deciding on quotes for the upgrades to occur. One option being considered is upgrading to a digital projector and screen that allow for both 2D and 3D films. “We are pretty excited,” Dietrich said. “With the Asper donation, at first they said they couldn’t accommodate us, but then after a few weeks they informed us there was a check coming, so that was obviously good. “And there are some community donations and events still being planned. All of these things have come together and we’re thinking everything should be falling into place soon.”