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Miracle on Baker Street comes true
The aim was to raise $20,000 for the Salvation Army’s homeless shelter project.
Danielle Cardozo, with Total Country B-104 and The Drive, came up with the idea in early fall, where a group of community volunteers would stand around on Baker Street in mid-December in their… gitch.
Participants were to raise funds from anyone they could in order to pay for the right to take part in ‘warming games’ to stop from turning into a frozen meat stick. If they could raise $20,000, it would be awesome, organizers thought.
A total of 21 community and business leaders took it off for charity yesterday afternoon in Miracle on Baker Street. From noon to 4 p.m. they mingled on the closed section of the street in front of Bedroom Furniture Galleries, near four fires lit more for onlookers than for the participants and beneath a foggy -1 C sky.
The event featured opening speeches by City of Cranbrook Mayor Lee Pratt, City of Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick, Salvation Army Major Kirk Green and Cranbrook and District Community Foundation’s Riley Wilcox – all stressing the importance of and need for a homeless shelter for all the East Kootenay.
Every half hour, participants played a variety of games, designed to get the blood pumping, earning time inside heated vehicles or the luxury Miracle on Baker Lounge inside Bedroom Furniture. Warmth and hot food awaited and the dollars flowed.
At 4 p.m., Cardozo thanked the 21 participants and all donors and with a frog in her throat announced that $50,000 had been raised.
The final event included the participants parading down Baker Street, eating ice cream treats, and swarming drivers and pedestrians for one last shot at charity.
One participant even attempted to wrest some dollars from a local RCMP officer but was informed he best move on and not slow traffic or he would be ticketed.
By this morning (Dec. 12), the Miracle on Baker Street total was sitting at about $55,000.
A big thanks on behalf of the entire community to: Mike Adams, Leo Baggio, Chris Botterill, Kenny Bridge, Peter Davis, Clint Eaton, Isaac Hockley, Joey Hoechsmann, Derek Kortschaga, Dean Kroeker, Jim Larson, Steve Mercandelli, Jason de Rijk, Jesse Roberts, Mark Salvador, Bob Scanland, Corey Spring, Chris Thom, Aj Wheaton, Jason Wheeldon and Gord Wilkins.
A Miracle on Baker Street was presented in association with e-KNOW.
More will be published after the participants and organizers have ‘thawed’ out.
Please click on an image to enlarge and to begin self-directed slide show…
Photos by Carrie Schafer and Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
