THUNDER BAY -- The Canadian Red Cross responds to disasters year-round, not just for major events like this May’s flood disaster.
“We have to maintain a capacity within the communities in order that we can respond when a disaster event occurs, whether it’s a serious event such as the Thunder Bay flood or an everyday occurrence we see throughout some of our communities of just responding to a simple house fire or an individual’s need for assistance,” said Ken Widdifield.
The disaster management co-ordinator for the Thunder Bay branch of the Canadian Red Cross was at Halfway Motors Friday to kick off the organization’s 18th annual Northern Raffle.
The raffle is the largest fundraiser for the Red Cross in Northern Ontario for the year and last year raised $40,000. Widdifield said they’re hoping to surpass that this year and hit $50,000.
The money stays in Northern Ontario and supports the disaster management program.
The grand prize is a 2013 Nissan Murano SUV donated by Halfway Motors. Second place prize is a 2013 Polaris Sportsman quad and there are five third-place prizes of $1,000. First place can also take $25,000 cash instead of the SUV.
Red Cross district branch manager Rob Kilgour said the organization has developed an excellent relationship with Halfway Motors; the company lent the Red Cross vehicles after the May 28 flood so they could transport volunteers and bring clean-up kits to the East End.
“It’s one of those community partnerships and relationships that develop and you realize just how important that is to our entire community,” Kilgour said.
“We have that connection from the business community to the non-profit community and that relationship just helps the citizens in a tremendous way,” he added.
Tickets for the raffle are $10 each and available at the Red Cross office on Barton Street, George’s Market, North Country Cycle and Sports and Halfway Motors.
