Revelstoke-based Monashee Unit Crew forest fire fighters is holding a hard labour auction to raise funds for the Live It! Love It! Foundation.
Here's how it works: You bid in an auction that ends this Friday, June 22. The successful bidder wins eight-hours of hard labour from this crew of 20 firefighters. They'll do just about anything and relish jobs that require lots of sweat and grit. In the past, they've taken on construction projects, painted buildings, repaired fences, felled and bucked timber and done transformative landscaping work.
This project is a fundraising tradition for the firefighting crew, which in past years has raised over $25,000 for organizations such as The Rick Hansen Foundation, the B.C. Children’s Hospital, and Live It, Love It!
This year the crew will donate the money raised to Live It! Love It!, a non-profit organization that supports adaptive sport for people with spinal cord injuries. Founder Jeff Scott has been a member of the Monashee crew since 2005 and sustained a spinal cord injury while snowboarding in the spring of 2010.
When asked about the 2011 event, Live It! Love It! executive director Izzy Lynch said the effort was stunning. “We were amazed at how much work the crew got done – it was impressive!”
The opportunity to bring publicity and financial support to Live It! Love It! benefits both the community of Revelstoke through the new adaptive ski program and also gives the firefighters a chance to donate some of their spare time to a cause that matters. "The Monashee Unit Crew intends to approach the project with same determination and drive that they bring to the fireline," said member Erik Hanson in a statement.
The auction board will be placed in the Revelstoke Home Hardware (201 Campbell St.) and applicants can cast bids there during business hours. The auction will start on Monday, June 11 and will conclude on Friday, June 22 at 5 p.m. The winner will be contacted by June 24 to arrange the details for the labour.
In addition, organizers say any online donations placed at www.liveitloveit.org during the two-week auction will receive two official Live It! Love It! stickers and a chance to win a draw prize.