The Parksville A&W has a wide range of fundraising events building up to the MS Cruisin’ for a Cause Day, next Thursday, August 25.
Last year the staff and customers nearly doubled their $1,000 goal so this year they set much more ambitious targets.
As of Aug. 15 the local restaurant had raised over $3,000, including $500 they contributed to a friend of the store to travel to receive the CCSVI or Zamboni procedure to help with their MS.
MS, or multiple sclerosis, is a disease of the central nervous system affecting vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility striking around one in every 500 to 1,000 Canadians. The disease is most often diagnosed in young adults.
The restaurant’s ongoing fundraising includes donation boxes, $1 cutouts, three different raffles, a 50/50 draw, silent auction and bottle drive.
They’ve done a number of bottle drive/car wash/bake sales throughout the spring and summer and are still encouraging people to drop empty bottles at the restaurant for the cause.
The raffle prizes include a deluxe children’s pedal car, an A&W bar stool set and an assorted collection of merchandise.
This year’s ongoing fundraising will culminate on the national Cruisin’ for a Cause Day, at which time the restaurant will donate $1 from every Teen Burger or double teen burger to the MS Society.
And then fundraising for next year starts Aug. 26, points out manager Dorothy Young.
While Young, MS patient Carol Mitchell and A&W staff members Tim Joulie and Tracey Remington had their heads shaved for the cause last year, they decided not to shave heads this year.
However, she said if they raise more than $10,000 in the campaign Young will still get to shave her husband’s mustache for the first time in the 25 years she’s known him.
It’s a promise he made to her last year, she said.
It’s not hard to help out. Just visit www.mssociety.ca or call 1-800-268-7582 to make a donation or to obtain more information.
As well, you can call the restaurant at 250-248-2040 to arrange a bottle pick-up.
And of course, don’t forget to stop at A&W any time next Thursday, Aug. 25 for a Teen Burger and assorted prize and donation opportunities.