Masked attendees filtered into the Heffley Room and Ballroom at the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel for this year’s winter masquerade themed Sun Peaks Volunteer Fire Department Society Gala, donning dresses and suits with wallets ready to contribute to fundraising efforts.
By the time the evening rolled around to the live auction, the society’s goal of $60,000 had already been reached and all raffle tickets had been sold.
For this year’s event, the two benefactors were Sun Peaks Recreational Trail Association (SPRTA) and the Whitecroft Community Association.
“We take turns being benefactors and not being benefactors over the years,” said volunteer firefighter with Sun Peaks Fire Rescue and board member for the Sun Peaks Volunteer Fire Department Society Casey Lambert.
Next year Sun Peaks Volunteer Fire Department will be a benefactor themselves once again. The Whitecroft Community Association will likely be back as well, given this was their first year in the regular two year cycle for community organizations holding that spot.
Acting president of the Sun Peaks Volunteer Fire Department society Tyne Roberts shared where this year’s funds have gone, including toward improvements on the Sun Peaks Fire Rescue’s structural protection trailer and sending a member to a heavy duty auto extrication course in the U.S.
Benefactor or not, Lambert said the funds from tickets go toward the Sun Peaks Volunteer Fire Department Society to assist with these types of things.
The two benefactors this year are able to receive their portion of the money raised in exchange for helping with a few organizational tasks such as managing the silent auction and bringing together live auction donations.
Building a playground in Whitecroft
The Whitecroft Community Association is working toward their goal of a playground just down the road from Sun Peaks.
This is their first year as a benefactor of the gala, and vice president of the association Michelle Landry Smith said the majority of the funds they raise will go toward playground equipment, which she added will likely cost a minimum of $175,000.
Much of the land preparation and fencing is covered by community volunteers donating time and equipment.
As part of the stipulation for using the land donated by the family of the late Nanci Wilson for a playground in her name, a well needed to be dug first, a process that is now complete.
Through other fundraising efforts, the association has been able to raise a sizable chunk of change.
These efforts include selling merchandise, which president Kaitlyn Lamotte said will soon be up on their new website, whitecroftbc.com, along with a calendar and information on their sponsorship package.
Funding the efforts of SPRTA
For their second year as a benefactor, SPRTA hopes to raise enough money to continue on with their first full-time employee.
Working full-time, Melissa Da Silva was able to do over 600 hours of trail maintenance, president of SPRTA Sam Loxton said.
If plans change or they have leftover money, he said that will go toward things like general operations, tools, equipment and insurance.
Another place to put the funds into would be a new trail project they’re working on, between McGillivray Lake and the bottom of Morrissey.
“We’re super thankful for the firefighters and the organizing committee for selecting us and letting us be part of the gala,” Loxton added.
Raising funds and celebrating the firefighters
Sun Peaks Independent News’ publisher, Brandi Schier was one of two masters of ceremonies, introducing the event and bringing people on stage for speeches.
These speeches included words from Melissa Vike of Vike Real Estate Group as the event’s title sponsor, Tyne Roberts and fire chief Dean Schiavon.
Sun Peaks Independent News was a sponsor of the event along with many other groups and companies.
For the silent auction, done online and open to the broader public as well as attendees, quite a few local businesses contributed with items including event packages, food baskets, gift cards, paintings and unique experiences.
A large portion of the night was spent sipping complimentary champagne while browsing silent auction items and mingling amongst dressed-up folks and uniformed firefighters.
During this time, a photo station was fully operational for anyone wanting to capture the magic of the night, and upon entry into the ballroom, guests were asked if they’d like to spin a wheel with a chance to win a variety of prizes for $25 a spin.
Following a three course meal prepared by the Sun Peaks Grand culinary team, Schiavon commended the firefighters and announced awards for Rookie of the Year and attending the most calls or practices, among many other categories.
Going into the live auction, the anticipation lingering in the air was set to transform into palpable tension, as folks bid on a catered in-home dining experience, a mountain style date night, a suite and transportation for a Blazers game in Kelowna, a day of wellness and more with Sonya and stained glass artwork.
These items and experiences sold for prices ranging from $700 to $4,250, the latter of which went toward the in-home catering offer.
Donations were made following the live auction without prizes attached. Two people in the crowd contributed $1,000 respectively, two others added $500 each to the pot, another did $250 and around 10 people added in donations of $100 each.
A celebratory mood set in as the What’s Next Band took to the stage, the dance floor opened up and the firefighters donned dresses and suits along with the rest of the attendees.
“I’ve been only the last three or four years, and for me, it just seems to get better and better every year,” Lambert said, adding that each year there seems to be more time put into the dance floor and mingling.
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