BGC Okanagan smashes Pink Shirt Day goal
Thanks to the support of the amazing individuals and businesses, BGC Okanagan is pleased to announce they doubled their original fundraising goal for the 2022 Pink Shirt Breakfast, presented by TELUS.
“To see the community and business come together and invest $40,000 in Okanagan children, youth and families, especially when we set our fundraising goal at $20,000 at the start of the campaign, is phenomenal,” said Richelle Leckey, Community Engagement Coordinator for BGC Okanagan.
Included in the breakfast boxes was food items, a ticket to the virtual kickoff, and other surprises – all of which were packed with the help of a team of volunteers from RBC.
Individuals and groups joined us via Zoom to start Pink Shirt Day off with a proclamation from City of Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran, a presentation about digital safety from TELUS and professional speaker and social entrepreneur Crystal Flaman on the 10 Million Acts of Kindness movement. BGC Okanagan CEO, Jeremy Welder, reminded those in attendance that the day marks the kick-start to a year of keeping kindness in the forefront of our actions.
“We are deeply moved by these acts of kindness as we come together to strengthen the ability of children and youth to become engaged, active citizens and leaders in their communities. The donations made will assist BGC Okanagan in programming and services that will remove barriers and create opportunities for children and youth,” said Welder.
For the second year in a row an amazing donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, boosted the tally with a $10,000 donation. This spurred several generous donations from the business community, including a donation from Traine Construction and Development which was matched by Combina Global.
Guest speaker, Crystal Flaman, also put out a call of action for individuals to donate and receive a “Kindness is my Superpower” sticker. Those are still available with a minimum $5 donation through www.bgco.ca/donate, selecting Pink Shirt Day in the drop-down menu and leaving the message Kindness is my Superpower. Flaman waived her speaking fee for the event and donated $1,000 of her own to the campaign.
We thank everyone who participated, donated, or helped spread awareness about being kind to each other and about BGC Okanagan.
Thank you to all our donors and sponsors:
Sysco, Paynter’s Market, Mister Tea, Arrowleaf, Doak Shirreff Lawyers, Dirty Laundry Winery, Earl Co Vineyards, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Intersection Estate Winery, Intrigue Wines, Ruby Blues Winery Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, Volcanic Hills Winery, Play Estate Winery, Elephant Island Winery, Farm Gate Winery, Nostalgia Wines, Culmina Family Estate Winery, Ramification Cellars, Seven Stones Winery, Heaven’s Gate Estate Winery, Hidden Chapel Winery, D’Angelo Winery, Twisted Hills Cidery