Organizers of a cancer-fighting lottery fundraiser got more than they bargained for Monday when the winners of the $25,000 grand prize announced they would donate the winnings right back to the cause.
Staff at Environmental Dynamics Inc. (EDI), winners of the Northern Lodge Lottery, will donate $15,000 toward the Canadian Cancer Society's Northern Lodge.
The Northern Lodge will provide a home away from home for cancer patients while they receive treatment at the cancer centre, set to open in late 2012.
And inspired by an employee's wife's battle against the disease, they will donate the remaining $10,000 to his family, which will choose what community cancer-related initiatives to support.
"About a year ago, a family member of one of our key employees had cancer," EDI president Bob Redden said. "Jason [Yarmish] and his family had to move out of town ... they were in Kelowna for six months. It was a real hardship for the family."
Yarmish said his wife, Jennifer, was diagnosed with cervical cancer only days after giving birth to the couple's third child.
Jennifer was told she'd need lengthy treatment in Kelowna or Vancouver, he said. The family decided to go to Kelowna together to support Jennifer's recovery.
"With three young children, five, three and two [years old] now, finding a place to stay, even in Kelowna, was difficult," Yarmish said.
Having the support of the Canadian Cancer Society and oncology staff in Kelowna and Vancouver was crucial for the family, he said. The B.C. Cancer Agency Centre for the North and Northern Lodge will provide the same service for people in Northern B.C.
"Having that here is going to make such a difference," Yarmish said. "And my wife, I'm pleased to say, is going very well. She's already looking at what she can do as a volunteer."
The lottery, organized by Wood Wheaton Supercentre, raised an additional $51,000 to support the Northern Lodge.
Northern Lodge campaign manager Les Waldie said the Canadian Cancer Society has raised approximately 75 per cent of the $10 million goal.
"This is a nice push for the campaign," Waldie said. "We expect construction to begin in July of this year. It's coming very well."
The lodge will have 36 beds and offer support services for cancer patients and their families. The project is on schedule to be complete by the time the full-service cancer centre opens in Prince George in late 2012.
"There is a lot of fundraising going on," he said. "The support of the concept from the community and the region has been very strong."
Wood Wheaton fleet manager Tom Sentes said dealership owner Craig Wood has made supporting the cancer lodge a focus.
"This is the first of several fundraising programs that Wood Wheaton is going to do for the cancer lodge," Sentes said. "This is a major community undertaking, we need everybody's support."
