The Aggie Foundation is pleased to announce the award of $5,932.80 to Surrey Public School District for the purchase of new uniforms for the boys Varsity and Junior Varsity basketball teams and $2,000 to the Surrey Rural Fire Department. These funds are the result of a partnership with Big Dog Saloon, a bar and grill located in Surrey. Aggie Foundation operates the charitable gaming located within the Big Dog Saloon, which allows the profits made from patrons to be distributed back into the community.

The partnership between Big Dog Saloon and Aggie Foundation has allowed the bar and grill to support legacy projects within the community, specifically focusing on helping local students. In September, Big Dog Saloon provided $8,000 to the Surrey Public District to purchase updated health curriculum. A representative from Big Dog Saloon said, “Smaller communities don’t always have the funds to support the needs we have. There’s so much that needs to be done, especially when it comes to helping our kids. Extracurricular activities are important and updated curriculum is important. Through the Aggie Foundation, we can use these funds to help Surrey kids.”

The nearly $6,000 will provide much-needed basketball uniforms for the school’s athletes. The Big Dog Saloon is looking forward to continuing their work with Surrey Public School District. “As we grow and build these charitable funds, we want to support as many projects as we can. In the future we hope to work with the school to establish some long term goals. Even if it’s something that takes years, like fixing the school’s track, that’s something that we can look at and feel proud of. We take pride in supporting our school and our students and everyone in Surrey.”

The $2,000 provided to the Surrey Rural Fire Department is an extra bonus for the volunteers who are in the midst of an ongoing fundraising campaign. The Surrey Rural Fire Department currently has 26 active members. 

Seth Bartholomay, Assistant Chief with the Surrey Rural Fire Department, was grateful for the surprise donation, which will be designated towards providing their volunteer firefighters with new gear. “We’re such a small community, and I’ve gotten to know all the people up at the Big Dog Saloon through various events, so it’s really awesome to have them be willing to help us out. Our small town community is pretty hard to beat when it comes to supporting one another.”