Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation "Big Bang" gala raises $109,205

The first big storm this winter in the Montreal region wasn’t enough to keep supporters of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation away from the Big Bang Gala. The truth is they managed to outdo themselves and raised nearly $10,000 more than last year.

A new record
Held at the Château Royal in Chomedey on the evening of Jan. 12, the proceeds from this year’s fundraiser amounted to $109,205. Considering that last year’s netted $100,600, and that the year before it was $108,200, everyone who showed their support this year by coming out or by contributing their time and efforts deserves a friendly handshake.

As in previous years, the 2012 gala’s silent auction featured some well-rendered paintings produced by artists from the Montreal and lower Laurentians. Among them were Tex Dawson, Alexandre-Éric Piette, Bill Saunders and Patricia Bourque. The items on the block included an autographed Jean Béliveau Montreal Canadiens hockey jersey (estimated value $650), and other autographed jerseys from the Oilers and the Habs.

Always doing better
“With each passing year we continue to set the bar higher,” Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board chairman Steve Bletas said in a speech he delivered to several hundred people. “I always wonder how we will do better and yet we somehow manage to do so.”

According to Bletas, the year ahead will see the foundation unveiling two exciting new projects. The Laurier Gala and Star Fest Talent Show will recognize the talent of students right across the SWLSB’s territory. And the second edition of a lottery which proved very popular the first time around will be rolled out once again this spring.

‘Sky’s the limit…’
Bletas said information on both will be mailed out in the coming months and there will also be information on them on the SWLF’s web site. “Together anything is possible,” he said. “I think this has been proven year after year and our goal is to continue to do so. After all, the sky is the limit.”

Launched in 2004, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation raises money to purchase teaching aids and technological equipment for the schools as an encouragement for students to complete their studies. In Quebec, where government funding for public education has become sparse, the SWLF helped pioneer the concept of raising additional funding from private donors.

Some of the projects at SWLSB schools that the SWLF will be funding this year include building an outdoor classroom to develop eco-citizenship and to allow students to live in a unique outdoor environment; the acquisition of a state-of-the-art videoconferencing system that will allow students to connect with people worldwide; the development of a “student patrol” to engage students in conflict resolution while offering training as patrollers; and the development of a hockey program that will offer a hockey concentration to high school students.