This will be 22nd and final year for Ed The Security Guy’s annual charity Christmas Tree pick up fundraiser in Kamloops.
Ed LaPierre of Lapper Security will be ending his annual fundraiser that sees him take Christmas Trees to Kamloops recycling depots for a minimum $10 donation to the Kamloops Hospice Society.
He tells Radio NL he decided to end the fundraiser at 22 years in honour of his brother who died of pancreatic cancer after spending a week in hospice care.
“His favourite number for his jerseys in all his sporting events and everything was 22, so I’ve chosen that kind of as our company number,” LaPierre said on NL Newsday. “I figured 22 years was a good time.”
LaPierre says he’ll bring in a new fundraiser for next year to keep supporting Kamloops Hospice Society in a different way.
“I may do even a pumpkin pickup around October to get pumpkins off the street and gift wrapping service in December,” LaPierre said. “There are just different opportunities. I’d like to find something to do mid-summer as well.”
“Christmas sometimes is a high priority for people to donate to things but we forget about that in the mid-month in July and august and stuff like that. If we can spread it out over the year, it might benefit.”
LaPierre estimates he’s raised about $10,000 for the Kamloops Hospice Society over the past six years. Prior to that, proceeds from the fundraiser would go towards a number of charities across town, a practice LaPierre said could return in the future.
“It would be something we would look at as well,” LaPierre said. “In the beginning, it was just random. We weren’t very busy picking up trees. We’d make a couple hundred dollars here and there and so I’d buy gift cards and hand out or something like that. There was nothing specific.”
“I feel that being a specific charity people tend to donate and ask for service a little more because they know exactly where its going.”
People hoping to donate to the Christmas Tree fundraiser can text Ed at 250-851-1131 or email him here.
He’ll be picking up trees over the next two weekends on Jan. 6 and 7 and again on Jan. 13 and 14.
