Five year-old Noah Cooke was one of the many kids enjoying a hot dog that organizers sold outside the school during the yard sale to raise money for Ukrainian orphans.
Orphans living in an eastern European country will be the benefactors of the generosity of people from the central region of the province.
A yard sale organized by a group of people who regularly raise funds for Ukrainian orphans generated about $7,200 that will help provide the basic necessities of life for some of the orphans.
It was the ninth year for the yard sale, which was held on Saturday, July 14. Residents from the region donated odds and ends that they were no longer using to the cause, which were then sold several weeks ago at Sprucewood Academy to hundreds of bargain hunters.
The money will be donated to two charities operating out of Ukraine "Loads of Love and Mission Partners.
We get a list of needs or projects from the charities that we deal with and then we pick and choose what we'll put the money towards, said Barry Elliott, one of the organizers of the event. “It will be sent (to them) in the next three to four weeks.
Mr. Elliott explained that the money could be used to help purchase food or clothing for orphans at different facilities in Ukraine.
But the organizers do not just raise money to send over to Ukraine, as is the case with the yard sale. They actually head over to the country to pitch in with various projects that are ongoing.
For example, they recently returned from Ukraine on June 10, where they spent three weeks building hot water shower facilities in one orphanage for two weeks before moving to a different part of the country to construct fencing around an area that will eventually become a summer camp for orphans.
The first two weeks we went back to the same place we were in last year, so that was pretty exciting, said Mr. Elliott. We saw a lot of the same teachers and the kids, and they were thrilled to see us again.
The organizers were a little concerned the yard sale would not be as successful this year as it has been in the past because they changed their venue from Windsor Pentecostal to the primary/elementary school, and because they returned from their trip such a short time before the event was to take place.
However, it was still a huge success, thanks to the participation of residents, and for that Mr. Elliott and his committee extend their gratitude.
Without the generosity of the people, we wouldn't be able to do this, said Mr. Elliott. Once again, we want to say a big thank you to everyone who came out and supported this cause.
More detailed coverage of the group's trip to Ukraine will appear in an upcoming edition of the Advertiser.
