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Dry Grad gets boost in Williams Lake

When it comes to participating in the BC Liquor Store campaign to support dry grad, Williams Lake customers are among the top donors.
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Cyril Vigeant (middle left) is the new owner of the grand prize of the 2013 Dry Grad truck raffle: a 1992 GMC pickup donated by Cariboo GM; Schickworks Signs & Stitches; Chap’s Auto Body; Stampede Glass; Blocks R Us; Audio Video Unlimited; and Tasco Supplies. With him is grad Shelby Doerkson (left)

When it comes to participating in the BC Liquor Store campaign to support dry grad, Williams Lake customers are among the top donors.

In the 2013 campaign, the BC Liquor Store in Williams Lake collected $9,520, proving that $1 can go a long way.

That amount was surpassed only by BC Liquor Stores located at Kelowna’s Orchard Park, in Vancouver at 39th and Cambie Street, and at Coquitlam’s Westwood Centre.

Province-wide donations totalled $495,000.

Another feather in the Williams Lake store’s cap is the fact that two employees — Tanja Spaans and Denise Hoem — were in the top three for cashier-encouraged transactions to support dry grad.

“Tanja was first in the province,” said store manager Dan Davis. “The Liquor Board hands out its own little prizes for this sort of thing.”

Pegging Williams Lake as always being supportive, Davis also credited his assistant manager Carrie Christianson who has been on the dry grad committee for about five or six years.

“The committee won’t let her leave,” he joked. “So she pushes really hard and gets the staff pumped up for it.”

Support Dry Grad is an annual community fundraising campaign held in 195 BC Liquor Stores throughout British Columbia.

Since 2001 the campaign has raised more than $4.9 million.

“I’m impressed by the ongoing generosity shown by British Columbians for the Support Dry Grad Campaign.

“The Province strongly supports dry grad activities as a way for students to celebrate safely on a night when risk is high,” said BC Liquor Distribution Branch general manager and CEO Blain Lawson.

Fifty-five school districts and the Federation of Independent Schools participated in this year’s campaign. All of the contributions made to each store are sent to their local school district.

The school districts in turn distribute the funds to the volunteer grad committees, which also  fundraise.

The money collected is used to pay for alcohol-free graduation events and activities such as dances, camping and bus trips to theme parks.

 



Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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