Proceeds from BGC Wolf Creek’s Santa’s Bids for Kids Online Auction will go a long way in supporting youth and after-school programming in Central Alberta.
This year’s auction ran from Dec. 1-4, and netted just below $22,000, said Angela Olson, director of child care for the Ponoka Youth Centre/BGC Wolf Creek.
Proceeds from the fourth annual event will support a range of youth and after-school programming.
Besides Ponoka, the auction also ran in Lacombe, Bentley, and Rimbey which are all now served by the organization, she said.
“This is the first year that we included Lacombe and Bentley as well,” she said.
“That is something we will also continue to do in the future, as it’s a fun way to get out into the community and help people get to know us. And they can bid on all this fun stuff!
“Our goal was $25,000 amongst the four communities collectively, and we made it to just under $22,000, so it was successful for sure and we are happy with that.
“We’ve had lots of positive feedback from people in regards to how it was run, too. We also want it to showcase the local businesses and what they have donated.”
Funds raised in each of the communities stay in that particular community.
Ultimately, Olson said the Santa’s Bids for Kids Online Auction is a fun way to raise funds for a wide spectrum of programming at BGC Wolf Creek.
Another way to support the organization year-round is by taking part in the Gold Rush program — a monthly 50/50 draw.
Proceeds from this go to supporting youth mentoring programs provided through BGC Wolf Creek.
“We have certain businesses that sell 50/50 tickets for us. As well, people can participate online,” she said.
“We also have yearly subscriptions. so people can take part one year at a time. They might do $5 each month for the 12 months, so it’s only $60.
“Their name then goes into the draw once a month, and then usually on the last business day of the month, we do our draw,” she said.
“Our average pot is between $1,800 to $2,100 a month, so it’s a nice chunk of change for them. All of the money raised goes towards our mentoring programs that we run,” she said.
“I also think those yearly subscriptions are a pretty nice gift. We sell quite a few of them for people to start up in January.”
The next Gold Rush draw date is Dec. 29.
“If people want to come in, we are open until Dec. 21 to buy tickets here in-house, and they can also follow our Facebook page to get the online link.”
For more about the Gold Rush, call 403-783-3112 or email admin@bgcwolfcreek.com.
To keep up-to-date with the organization, follow BGC Wolf Creek Ponoka on Facebook.