The Medicine Hat Santa Claus Fund held its second annual Spirit of Giving Gala Saturday night – raising thousands for charity.
The event auctioned off a number of fully-decorated Christmas trees that were put together by various businesses from around the community.
“It was a real magical night,” said Santa Claus Fund (SCF) Executive Director Deanna Doerksen. “It was so great to see the community come together and show support of the Santa Claus Fund.”
As the festivities of the night carried on, eyes ultimately turned to the Scotiabank tree. Scotiabank said it was willing to match any bid up to $15,000 with a donation – and it did.
The Yuill Family Foundation won the tree with a $15,000 bid and then donated the tree back to the auction so it could be sold again. “The Yuill Family Foundation is pleased to participate in the fundraising efforts of the SCF,” said Heather Lemeshuk, Administrator of the Yuill Family Foundation, “The goal of supporting youth sports in South Eastern Alberta fits with both organizations.”
After all was said and done, the tree brought in a total of $32,000 for the SCF. There is expected to be roughly 400 families reaching out to the SCF for help this holiday season.
