A quickly organized, but highly successful, fundraising effort has brought in more than $9,000 to help the people displaced from their homes by a fire Aug. 31 in Gibsons.
The fire caused major damage to eight units in the Park Rise condo complex at 689 Park Road, leaving them unlivable.
Mayor Wayne Rowe praised firefighters during Tuesday’s council meeting saying, “It could have been a major, major tragedy up there.” He also said he’s been told the strata corporation intends to rebuild.
The day after the fire, the Gibsons Legion started taking donations and setting the wheels in motion for a fundraiser with a live band last Saturday night. More than 200 people attended, and by the end of the night they’d brought in well over $8,000 in cash and gift cards and filled the Legion’s pool room with clothing and other necessities.
Paige Davies’ unit was next to the one where the fire started, and it was completely gutted.
Volunteers with Emergency Social Services were able to help the residents with immediate needs, like a place to stay that night, and Davies told Coast Reporter this week that she and her neighbours have been overwhelmed by the offers of help and the donations that have been coming in through the Legion. “I just really want to thank everybody who turned up for the fundraiser,” she said.
“Family, friends, friends of their friends, have been reaching out and giving donations and offering places to stay,” Davies said, adding that her unit had been up for sale and her realtor has been doing all she can to help Davies track down a place to rent while she deals with the insurance claims.
She said that’s one of the biggest challenges because hotels were booked and finding a place that will accept her dogs isn’t easy.
Davies’ cousin Rhiannon Moss works at the Gibsons Legion, and helped pull together the Legion’s fundraising effort.
“I went in [to work] the day after the fire and sat down with Wilma Jones, our branch president, and started talking about what we could do and she came up with the idea for the burger and beer fundraiser,” Moss said. “We figured with word of mouth we’d do pretty well, but we didn’t expect that many people – it was great.”
The clothing donations were sent to Christian Life Assembly Church on School Road for sorting and distribution to the fire victims on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Moss said the Legion planned to continue accepting cash and gift card donations until the end of the week. As of Tuesday, the total was over $9,000.
“We were shocked at how people came together for it. We really do have such a great community. It was amazing,” Moss said.
Jones echoed that thought in an email to local media.
“When a crisis occurs, our community answers the call to help,” Jones said. “Special thanks go to Mark Smith for coordinating the food and music donation from IGA, SuperValu, the Blackfish Pub, Sysco, London Drugs for paper supplies, Copy Shop for posters and Michelle Morand and A.D.D. for supplying the music free of charge, and the team that came together for the Legion to get this done. Fromagerie de Baie donated their takings for the day to the cause. Companies and individuals made significant donations of cash at the Legion.”
