During the months of November and December we reached out to all of you, our faithful readers, asking if you might chip in a buck or two to help us raise $1500 to sponsor a park bench on Alouette Lake out in Maple Ridge. I’m happy to report that we’ve now raised $1100 of the $1500 we need to pay for the bench we’re purchasing in the 100 for 100 Park Bench Challenge!

Last week I was super honoured to be invited out to Golden Ears Provincial Park to deliver a speech about why V.I.A. decided to sponsor a bench with our readers. I talked about how much I love Alouette Lake, about how one of my favourite things about Vancouver is that it’s so close to amazing parks like the one our bench will be in, and that by encouraging you all to pitch in to help buy it that I hope it gives you a reason to get out to this lake and not only enjoy the park and your bench. Then we unveiled it with BC’s Minister of Environment, Terry Lake!

BC Minister of Environment Terry Lake, Bob Kronbauer, Arlo and Katie Cubitt

HUGE thanks to all of these people listed below who made donations ranging in size from $1 all the way to $300. Every one of these people are now co-owners of our bench that’ll be permanently installed in the next couple of weeks!

We’re $400 shy of our goal so if you want your name added to this list above and have a stake in this bench we’re buying, please consider making a donation!