Ness Lake Bible Camp director Will Born didn't have any idea why he was told to bring a wheelbarrow to Beaverly elementary school Wednesday.
But he figured it out soon enough, when the Grade 7 class presented him with more than $2,200 they had collected throughout the month, with all the money going to help build a new gymnasium at the bible camp to replace the one that burned down on Dec. 31.
"The generosity of Prince George brings tears to my eyes. I've worked in other communities and I've never seen a town rally around a cause the same as Prince George," said Born.
Suzie Barrio's Grade 7 class came up with the fundraising idea and thought the fundamentals behind the bible camp would coincide perfectly with anti-bullying day.
"The boys really took the reins as far as the fundraising goes," said Barrio, "and the girls helped out too, but it was mostly the boys."
The money was raised through penny drives, cupcake sales and the generosity of the Beaverly community.
"We had people dropping off money everyday," said Barrio.
To sweeten the pot, the class came up with fundraising goals. If they raised more than $1,000, the boys would get temporary pink highlights in their hair; if they passed the $1,500 mark, all the boys would wear tutus for the day; and if they passed the $2,000, the principal, Ian Landy and Grade 5 teacher Tom Smith would get decked out in pink from head-to-toe for the day.
"They weren't kidding when they said I needed a wheelbarrow. We are hoping to have an operational gym by July,"said Born.
