Jim Ward and his older sister Connie have long since loved hosting dances. Any excuse to bring friends together and party the night away, socialize, and have a good time.
But the 91原创 siblings now have another reason to host a dance, beyond letting loose with 200 of their closest friends.
They芒鈧劉re doing it to help raise money for the Legacy Water Search and Recovery Society, which came out of the tragic death of Connie芒鈧劉s son Brendan Wilson and his friend Austin Kingsborough.
The boys were at the family cabin for a few days. On April 21, 2013 went on a canoe trip on Nicola Lake, and for unknown reasons they never returned.
A massive search ensued involving Mounties, search and rescuers, friends, and family. But the boys were never found.
It was weeks later, and thanks to the recovery efforts of an Idaho searcher and his sonar equipment 芒鈧�� which could probe deeper than anything available in B.C. 芒鈧�� that their bodies were eventually located in 75 feet of water, at the edge of the bay near the Wilson芒鈧劉s cabin.
Since then, family and friends have been working tirelessly to form a B.C. society and raise money to purchase a boat, sonar equipment and a remote operated vehicle that can help families like their recover drowning victims.
芒鈧揙ften victims of drowning are never located, and police are unable to resolve the case successfully,芒鈧� Ward explained from his automotive shop in 91原创 on Friday.
To make that goal possible, Legacy must raise almost $400,000 to purchase the equipment, he elaborated. To do that, the society has applied for grants, a gaming licence, and is hosting a series of fundraisers 芒鈧�� two dances and one golf tournament 芒鈧�� which they hope will become annual events.
They芒鈧劉re still far away from reaching the ultimate total, Ward said, but chipping away at it bit by bit. For instance, he expressed gratitude that the 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In had selected Legacy as one of the charities of choice from the 2013 fundraising car show. While they芒鈧劉re not sure how much Cruise-In will be giving them, it芒鈧劉s support from other local organizations like this that helps spread the word about their efforts.
An inaugural Valentine芒鈧劉s dance for Legacy also helped raise $3,500. With the addition of more people and silent auction items to the upcoming Halloween dance and costume party, Ward said they芒鈧劉re hoping to double the amount raised in February.
The Halloween dance is being held Saturday, Oct. 25, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Port Kell Hall, 18918 88th Ave., in Surrey.
Tickets are $25 each and must be purchased in advance at www.legacywatersearch.com or via email at admin@legacywatersearch.com, or Anna 604-809-7244.
芒鈧揗y sister and I have always done dances, years ago. My sister and her sorority group took over the dances when I stepped back for a while. We芒鈧劉re just continuing that family tradition, if you will. The dance is just something where people can go out and have fun,芒鈧� Ward said. 芒鈧揟he bonus is they芒鈧劉re also able to help bring closure to families during an emotionally devastating time.芒鈧�
