The Royal Canadian Legion in Quesnel is planning to make a down payment on an accessible dock after a silent auction raised $3,800.
More than 30 items were on display at the branch on Kinchant Street from Oct. 1 to Oct. 30 for the public to view and bid on.
“We had sent out lots of letters to our local merchants to donate, and some of them responded but with COVID as it is right now, a lot of them didn’t, and that’s OK,” said legion treasurer Darcy Horn.
“We did do very well. Some of our members donated some items, and everything sold, so that’s good.”
Funds raised from the silent auction will be used towards a down payment on an accessible dock at Quesnel Legion Beach. The beach re-opened this year following thousands of volunteer hours in improvements.
The accessible dock would allow disabled paddle boarders or kayakers to launch on Dragon Lake.
“We have to get our money together, and then we have to apply for grant money from whatever grants are available,” Horn said, adding it is not an easy process.
Read More: Quesnel Legion Beach reopens with noticeable improvements thanks to volunteers
“Usually, we need 50 per cent of our own money, be it cash or in-kind, and we’re looking at a total cost of about $75,000 for the dock, so if you do some figuring, we have to come up with a lot of money for it.”
Horn believes it would be nice for the legion to host a silent auction annually, with the next one featuring even more items to bid on.
If several sources or more helped provide funds for their accessible dock, he said it would mean less the community service organization would have to put up themselves.
Quesnel Legion Beach is currently closed until next season.
Improvements to sewage, water and power are presently underway to allow more of the campsites to provide access to those services.
“Next year I think everything should be well improved that it’s going to be even better,” Horn said.
Read More: Quesnel Legion Beach renovations underway
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