Editor:
We fought hard for this opportunity to win $40,000 and right up until 10 a.m. on the final day we were in position to take the prize with generous financial support that came from our entire community in the final days with Kane Fraser at FBB Accountants being at the ready to help us win in the last hours of the final day. Then, at 10 a.m. on Nov. 15, a competitor in our category that had prior to the final days had very little activity on their account put $50,000 on their competition.
That was 50,000 votes!
We heard howls from our supporters, the voting site was so overwhelmed in the final hour the whole system shut down!
But enough about them, what about us?
We raised over $12,000!!!! And we did it bit by bit, knocking on doors, doing bottle drives and hosting a great Halloween party.
All the outcomes are rosy for Potato House with enough funds to pay our mortgage, some great new skills and wonderful new partnerships!
On Monday before the competition closed we invited people to renew their membership online or at the Credit Union, and if they donated $100 they would become a member for life.
Thank you to the Wellburn/Beck Family, Penny Grimard, Ross McCoubery and Jacinda D’Andrea who are all signed up forever!
We also had incredible support from our local businesses with The Realm of Toys donating the proceeds from the Halloween party, the Williams Lake and District Credit Union, Fraser Construction Ltd., FBB Accountants donating $1,000 each and many more businesses putting up whatever they could which in many cases was a heck of a lot. Every dollar, every vote counted and we heard Williams Lake loud and clear-they love the Potato House and agree with us that This Place Matters!
Thank you very much to Oliver and Co., Horizon Climate Controls, Vanderberg and Company, BMO, Kit and Kaboodle, The Carpenter and his Son; Doug and Jamie Regier, Exploring the Puddle Early Learning Centre, Heartland Toyota, Johnson Meier Insurance, the Station House Gallery and Kenny Ilnicki.
A special thank you to Bob Duck at the Rush Radio Station who did the most wonderful interview and LeRae Haynes at the Williams Lake Tribune and CBC Kamloops Daybreak and CBC North by Northwest who very kindly promoted us so well we are now a household name!
There are so many people, place and partners that went above and beyond to help us reach and far exceed our fundraising goals!.
Thank you is not enough to express how grateful we are, and in the end we believe Williams Lake won something much more valuable than dollars.
Mary Forbes
Williams Lake