February was another incredibly giving month for residents of the Comox Valley.
While most people were still dealing with the aftershocks of another expensive holiday season, we were opening our hearts and wallets for numerous great causes.
The Coldest Night of the Year walk was an unmitigated success. It its inaugural Comox Valley presence, 397 registered walkers raised more than $55,000.
It was the highest single location total in the province, beating out the likes of Vancouver Broadway, Vancouver Downtown Eastside, Kamloops and Kelowna.
There were only two other B.C. communities to crack the $40,000 plateau - Surrey and Cloverdale.
The money raised in the Comox Valley was more than twice as much as anywhere else on the Island.
(In comparison, Victoria – despite all the recent media coverage regarding its homelessness problems - raised only $19,000.)
A special shout out to the Probo Walkers, who raised $7,415 - the highest team total in the Comox Valley.
The giving ways continued last weekend, with a pair of important fundraisers.
Wallets and purse strings were loosened on Friday for the annual YANA dinner and silent auction.
Then the Filberg Centre was transformed into an outdoorsman’s cabaret just 24 hours later, as the Courtenay & District Fish & Game Protective Association held its annual fundraising dinner and auction.
The meals alone were memorable. Tria Fine Catering & Gourmet Eats supplied the food for YANA’s event, while members themselves supplied the menu on Saturday. Rarely will one have the opportunity to put bear, elk, moose and cougar on the same plate.
While numbers are still being crunched for both events, early returns suggest more than $100,000 was raised at the Filberg Centre this weekend for a pair of worthwhile causes.
Donor fatigue? Not in the Comox Valley. Let’s keep it that way.
–Terry Farrell