Tri-City residents opened their hearts and their garages Saturday, raising thousands of dollars for charity, a nickel and a dime at a time.
The Charlene Reaveley Children's Charity Society was founded in memory of the 30-year-old mother of four who was run down and killed along with Lorraine Cruz in an alleged hit-and-run in February. Saturday's bottle drive was the new society's first-ever fundraiser.
Kim Debenedictis organized the drive at two locations, collecting refundable bottles, cans and containers at the Port Coquitlam Canadian Tire and the H&M bottle depot in New Westminster.
"It was really amazing," Debenedictis said. "We were running trucks full of bottles back and forth non-stop from PoCo to the New West depot."
While a final tally for the event isn't expected until Thursday, Debenedictis estimated the one-day bottle drive raised between $6,000 and $8,000.
And it wasn't just friends and neighbours who kicked in for charity. Debenedictis said as many as seven Lower Mainland Boston Pizza locations donated their returnables Saturday, as did the Cactus Club Cafe in Coquitlam.
"The Canadian Tire location was just slammed all day," she said, adding that by-donation barbecue, face-painting and a draw to win a television helped boost the day's fun and fundraising efforts.
About 15 people volunteered to help sort donations between the two locations, some of whom were just Canadian Tire shoppers who got "roped in," Debenedictis said.
Debenedictis thanked everyone who came out to the bottle drive on behalf of the society and for all those who couldn't make it, she said a similar fundraiser is in the works for a yet-to-be-determined PoCo location on Aug. 20.
The Charlene Reaveley Children's Charity Society was started by Charlene's husband, Dan Reaveley, to offer emotional and financial support to families with children who have lost a loved one suddenly.
Coquitlam resident Corey Sater is facing 10 charges related to the alleged hit-and-run deaths of Reaveley and 26-year-old Cruz at Lougheed Highway and Pitt River Road on Feb. 19. Sater's next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 8 in Port Coquitlam Provincial Court.
