The Vanderhoof Aquatic Centre Society received their first large corporate donation Oct. 16 from Avison Management Services.
The forestry consultant company donated $10,000 to the Aquatic Centre in hopes of starting a snowball effect, said Stewart Sinclair, President of Avison Management Services.
“The idea is to get the process jump started,” said Mr. Sinclair. “We challenge some of the other businesses in Vanderhoof to now donate. Let’s get this project on the road.”
With $7,833 raised from the comedy night last month, $2,833 from Invest Local BC, $2,400 from original memberships and $10,000 from Avison, the total amount of raised funds to date is $23,066. All the money raised for the pool goes to the Vanderhoof Aquatic Centre. The large donation from Avison was deposited in the Aquatic Centre Society’s account and will stay there for the long-term, said Edna Oryschuk, secretary for the Stuart Nechako Regional Pool Society.
“We’re raising funds on our own but the donation from Avison is much appreciated and is out there now to challenge other groups,” said Ms. Oryschuk. “It’s heart warming that we have folks in the community to support fundraising efforts [like the comedy night] and the public fundraising group will continue to have events because it all goes into the same pot, but it was very generous of Avison to kickstart the challenge.”
Accepting the cheque on behalf of the Vanderhoof Aquatic Centre Society was Paul Stewart, president of the Stuart Nechako Regional Pool Society, a group established to help raise funds and maintain public presence. The regional group was formed about a year ago and over the summer the public fundraising group was developed in Vanderhoof to help with local fundraising. For more information visit the Vanderhoof Aquatic Centre Facebook page.