Thousands raised for sick kids

Kathy Yaxley may have underestimated the generosity of the Chilliwack community.

When Yaxley opened up her first-ever pumpkin patch last month and made it a fundraising patch, she didn't know what to expect. She figured most people would donate around $5, keeping on par with market prices. She never imagined they'd be handing over $10 and $20 bills.

But, as mentioned, Yaxley underestimated the Chilliwack community.

Yaxley's pumpkin patch raised $3,473.12 for B.C. Children's Hospital.

"Is that not amazing?" she said. "Not in a million years did I expect this kind of generosity from the community. It's really quite overwhelming."

For two weekends straight, Yaxley's driveway looked like a used car dealership. Cars were driving in and out from open to close right up until Halloween.

"We were constantly busy," she said. "People came from all over ... they even came in torrential rain."

Out of approximately 200 pumpkins to start with, Yaxley was left with just 12 remaining.

Thanks to this year's success, another fundraising pumpkin patch is already in the works for next year.

kbartel@theprogress.com

+More Community Headlines
<Back to Mobile Edition