Giant Garage Sale Raises Over $3,500 for The 'Muskoka School' Project

Due to the many generous donations from Muskokans far and wide and the dedication of hard-working volunteers, the Giant Garage Sale held for the Muskoka School Project in Cambodia raised a grand total of just over $3,500. Wow!

Many people dedicated hours towards the success of this sale, held Aug. 16 and 17 in Gravenhurst.

Special thanks to Andy McCoy of Gravenhurst for trucking donations from his First Street drop-off location out to my place on a daily basis. Also, thanks to Steve and Eva McCoy for providing volunteers with a sale location directly across from Bethune House.

Sue Stockdale of Gravenhurst provided a pizza and fruit lunch for the volunteers on the first day of the sale and the Rotary Brat Booth kept everyone energized on day two of the event.

Thanks to fellow Rotarians Jay and Linda Harrison, Bill and Diane Kinghorn, Bill and Dora Rathbun, Pat Bongers, Nancy Beal and Marlyn Goodwin for the hours they spent volunteering at the sale. Thanks to volunteers Carol Fraser, David Bryce, Dan and Linda Blix, and to Inge Fritz, who managed the refreshment table.

Special big thanks to Kevin Brown of Regatta Restaurant at Muskoka Wharf and to Peter Armstrong of the Red Leaves JW Marriott Resort, for arriving at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday to load and empty the truckloads donations, and for sending us a van load of staff volunteers who provided us with muscle power throughout the day.

Many thanks to the Banner/Examiner for their press support of this project.

Over $10,400 has been raised to help build a six-room Ministry Of Education certified cement public school for over 300 children in the village of Ta Trav, Siem Reap, in the province in Cambodia. The goal is $20,000.

A BIG thanks to the Rotary Club of Gravenhurst for their recent donation of $2,500 towards this project.

This project is supported by the citizens of Muskoka, the Rotary Club of Gravenhurst, the Canadian-founded Cambodia Land Mine Museum Relief Fund (www.cambodianlandminemuseum.org) and the
Trailblazer Foundation (www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org.)

To make a donation to the Muskoka School Project, please send your cheque (payable to CLMMRF) to Lisa McCoy, Box 53, Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1T5. Phone 687-8538 for more information. 100% of your contribution goes towards this school-building project.

Help raise more funds by attending the Muskoka School Project fundraising evening at Boston Pizza in Gravenhurst, 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Thanks, Muskoka, for making dreams real for the young children of Cambodia!