A special AG Valley Food fundraiser event was held outside AG Valley Foods on April 22 to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

This was a first-time for the fundraiser, which went from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and involved raffle tickets, a barbecue, and face-painting.

There was also a hair-cutting event.

Thanks to the wonderful feedback and money raised, though, Dianna Gillies is sure that this won’t be the last time this fundraiser will be held.

“We had a co-worker named Larry Williams who passed away, and when we had our first relay team, he did a lot of work for that,” said Giles. “The amount of money he raised, and the work he did…it made us want to do this.”

A committee was formed for the fundraiser, which consisted of Gillies, Sarah LaPointe, Sylvia Feldman and Susan Kelly.

Also present for the fundraiser were board members Kayla Chinchar and Melanie Feldman.

Everything at the fundraiser, from the food to the raffle prizes, was by donation.

Gillies said that Greg LaPointe had done most of the leg work in finding donors for the prizes, which were donated by Home Hardware in Invermere.

“It’s been excellent,” said Gillies of the fundraiser. “So far we’ve received lots of good comments. It was scary and stressful at first, but we have a really good team, and we’re really looking forward to next year’s.”

Gillies went on to explain that the hair-cutting done at the fundraiser was to help instill confidence in the head-shaving event done at the Relay for Life.

“We’re doing the hair-cutting today to show that, for the relay, people don’t have to shave their heads,” said Gillies, who would later be having some of her hair cut off and donated.

Raffle tickets for this specific fundraiser are still being sold at AG Valley Food tills for $2, or three for $5.

The winner will be drawn on the day of the Relay, and 2,500 raffle tickets have been printed.

“You just never know when [cancer] is going to happen to someone you know, and it feels good to help,” said Gillies about coming out for this year’s Relay for Life.