An early tally shows the 17th annual Festival of Trees Gala raised more than $180,000 Friday night, with the highest bidding tree going for $35,000 - a new record for the event.
Though Brent Marshall seemed determined to take home the tree donated by Cannaccord, he backed down from the determined winners Bill and Diane Rogers, who bought back the very tree they donated.
The Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation annual event was a huge success, said the foundation's CEO Don Gowan.
"It's fantastic. It's my first Festival of Trees with the foundation, and the generosity of the people here tonight is astounding," said Gowan.
He said he was particularly surprised at the support given to the Fund-an-Item portion of the evening, where people were asked to offer a donation for a specific piece of equipment.
This year, the foundation is raising money for an endoscopic ultrasound, which is like an X-ray from the inside, said Dr. Paul Winwood at the event. He explained that this equipment is standard in hospitals in the United Kingdom, and it would allow doctors in Prince George to make a proper decision as to how to operate on a cancer patient.
In a matter of minutes, close to $50,000 was raised, with donations ranging from $100 to $5,000.
"It's an auction, so you expect people to bid and give money when they get something in return, but Fund-an-Item just shows you the support we have in our community. Just the generosity of the people tonight is amazing," said Gowan.
A new feature of the event was a wild-card feature, suggested by auctioneer Danny Hooper. Members of the public were asked to donate an item, on the spot, for live auction.
The response was great, with more than 10 items donated. Tickets for the PG Symphony were offered, as well as vacation homes in Palm Springs and Arizona, and even a three day native cultural experience by Vince Prince.
"I'll teach you how to drum, I'll teach you how to make your own drum - whatever you want," said Prince.
"You think this great dinner tonight with Alberta beef was great, well wait until you try great, British Columbian moose," he added with a smile to the Albertan auctioneer. The three day experience was sold for $4,500.
The evening is a great way to bring the community together for a common cause, said Gowan.
Trees were donated by many organizations around the region, including Northern Health.
Northern Health Director of Business Finlay Sinclair said this year they wanted to show their appreciation to public for their continuous support.
"We really respect their involvement in every aspect of our community," said Sinclair.
"Everyday in health care we face challenges. And it's events like this that's going to take us from good, to great."
