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WEDNESDAY, December 10, 2014
NEWS BRIEFS Canfor Coffee donates toys
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VOL. 37 NO. 41 $1.30 inc. GST
Christmas party raises $11,250 for toy and food drive
REBECCA WATSON Omineca Express
Vanderhoof -- The Canfor Coffee group in Prince George has once again given hundreds of wooden hand-crafted toys away to childrenin-hospital for their annual toy giveaway. Each year, the group of retired canfor employees make boxes of toys and bring them to hospitals from Prince George to Burns Lake including Stuart Lake hospital in Fort St. James and St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof. “This annual gift is something we always look forward to as the creativity and love is so evident in each vehicle and piece of doll furniture,” said April Hughes, health services administrator, Omineca District. “It gives us great pleasure to be able to give these gifts to the children who visit the hospital. The staff themselves get excited to go through the box because the wooden toys are so delightful. We get the joy going through the box, the joy of giving them out and the joy of watching the childrens faces playing with the toys.” Joe Plenk of the Canfor Coffee Group has been making toys for over 20 years specializing in rocking horses and kids tables. “Its something to do to pass the day instead of sitting around watching tv, and I don’t go to the beer pub,” joked Mr. Plenk. “It feels great because I am still available, I haven’t got anyone. I am the only one in my family for 7000 km, I come from Germany. It’s very gratifying, I love the children.”
Jasmine Lakusta and Louise Bett man the door at the North Arm Pub during their fundraising christmas party that raised over $12,000 for this years toy and food drive. Lakusta and the toy and food drive intend to make events like this an annual fundraising event. Photo by Jesse Cole.
JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier The Fort St. James toy and food drive will be able to provide even more support to the community this holiday season thanks to over $11,000 raised last weekend. The toy and food drive held a fundraising christmas party at the North Arm Pub on Saturday, Dec. 6 and received significant support from the community as more than 100 people attended the party, well over the 96 tickets initially sold. Featuring a live DJ, silent auction and 50/50 raffle, the event was organized by chair of the toy and food drive organization Jasmine
Lakusta along with committee members Judy Greenaway, Kyla Grundstrom, Louise Bett and Jhenipher Bridgeman. The christmas party was a spiritual successor to last years fundraising dinner that was sponsored by Integris Credit Union. Prior to 2013 the toy and food drive relied on independent donations to raise money, but Lakusta hopes to make these types of events a yearly occurrence The event managed to raise $4,200 from ticket sales, the silent auction and 50/50 raffle. In conjunction with $2,500 donated by Iberdrola Renewables, the company responsible for the bio-energy plant being built outside of town, $2,000 from Nak’azdli Band and $2,000 from Newlands Enterprises (who also bought 76 of
the 96 available tickets) and $500 from Northland Automotive, Mt. Milligan and the Bargain Basement each. The total amount raised thus far is $11,250. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our community for their generous donations and ongoing efforts volunteering to make this annual event for those in need so successful,” said Lakusta. “There are so many volunteers that step up and help each year to make this come together and to all of [them] I’d like to express my sincere and heartfelt thanks.” Money raised by the fundraising event will go towards buying christmas toys and non-perishable food items to fill holiday hampers given out to members of the community each year during