Linda Lou HOWARTH
Special to the Tribune
The Tatla Lake School Parent Advisory Council hosted the school’s third annual Growing Smiles flower fundraiser this year, despite the school being closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Growing Smiles fundraiser is a part of DeVry Greenhouses, based out of Chilliwack.
Orders were placed from throughout the Chilcotin including Anahim Lake, Nimpo Lake, Puntzi Lake, Redstone, Tatla Lake and Tatlayoko Lake and each customer was excited to receive their baskets and flower plants.
Sabina Harris, the organizer of the fundraiser, had her hands full with all the orders and recruited the assistance of her husband, Troy, who pulled their large horse trailer and borrowed a truck to haul their other horse trailer full of baskets and beautiful plants, as well as a pair of sport utility vehicles to transport the plants from Beaver Valley Feeds in Williams Lake to Tatlayoko Lake.
On Thursday, May 28 Harris was busy all day sorting flowers for those who came to pick up their orders. On Friday, May 29 the rest of the baskets and plants were collected at the West Chilcotin Store in Tatla Lake. There, young Tony Daud cheerfully pulled a wagon full of flowers to various vehicles to complete the deliveries.
The Tatla Lake School PAC committee said it would like to thank Beaver Valley Feeds for the use of their parking lot to unload the big truck and reload into the horse trailers.
READ MORE: Tatla Lake School getting $90,000 grant for new playground
This marked the third year of fundraising with the selling of flower baskets and plants, with around 306 items sold with just shy of $10,000 spent by community members to help the PAC raise just under $3,000.
With the majority of buyers increasing their orders and new buyers, as well, made for a successful fundraiser.
A huge thank you from the Tatla Lake School students and the PAC to all the buyers. Enjoy your plants!
Thanks, also, to Harris for doing a wonderful job ordering the flowers, as well as collecting the money and having them delivered.
Although there appeared to be no strawberry plants, most accepted beautiful lavender plants, instead.
Harris took all that they sent, hoping she could sell them, and it seems as though more could have sold as they went like hotcakes.
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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