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Boogie With The Stars raises cash for specialized wheelchairs

With the contribution from the efforts made during Boogie With The Stars, the New Year's Eve event held at the Civic Centre, the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation has surpassed its fundraising goal of $102,000 to go toward 62 specialized whee
Citizen Staff
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Citizen publisher Colleen Sparrow and Selen Alpay of Canadian Tire won Boogie with the Stars 2016. The event, held on Dec. 31 at the Civic Centre, raised $91,500 for Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation.Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

With the contribution from the efforts made during Boogie With The Stars, the New Year's Eve event held at the Civic Centre, the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation has surpassed its fundraising goal of $102,000 to go toward 62 specialized wheelchairs for the rehabilitation unit at UHNBC.

The fundraising campaign started in August and by the last day of the year, the goal was accomplished.

During September, local businesses were asked to offer their employees an opportunity to dress business-casually every Friday of September and for each Friday it would cost $5 for a total of a $20 donation for the month. The September Casual effort raised $14,700.

The seventh annual Punjabi Canadian Senior Society (PCSS) bike-a-thon saw a team ride from the Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple in Prince George to Purden Lake for a picnic lunch provided by the PCSS and then promptly ride back to Prince George in the afternoon.

The society raised $24,300 during their one-day event.

Boogie With the Stars chipped in $91,500 to bring the grand total to $130,500.

"Thank you to the Punjabi Canadian Senior Society, Paz Milburn & Peter Weedon (organizers of Boogie With The Stars), and every single dancer, volunteer, fundraiser and donor who was part of this success," said Judy Neiser, the CEO of the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation. "Your generosity will help thousands of people on their way to healing."

Boogie With The Stars saw nine teams compete during a friendly dance competition by asking supporters to vote for them for a donation of $5 each vote. All funds raised during the voting process was donated to the Spirit of the North wheelchair campaign. Voting started online well in advance of the event. Team Canadian Tire, featuring dancers Selen Alpay, owner of the local Canadian Tire store, and The Citizen's publisher, Colleen Sparrow, came together to take the top spot and the big trophy. The evening included dinner, the dance competition and then an opportunity for all those who attended to dance the night away accompanied by a full dance band.