Gerry Bellett, (THE VANCOUVER SUN) — Hastings Elementary in East Vancouver will have enough money to host breakfast for hungry children for the next two years thanks to Colliers International, with an assist from Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler, and such financial luminaries as Frank Giustra and Ryan Beedie.
“We have raised $23,500 from the benefit we held for the school,” said Colliers International vice-president Colin Scarlett, whose company adopted Hastings Elementary two years ago in response to The Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign.
The money was raised from among employees during an auction that offered coffee with Giustra — an investment guru who formed Lions Gate Entertainment and philanthropist involved in the Streetohome Foundation that is building residences for Vancouver’s homeless — and lunch with Kesler and Beedie, who is president of Beedie Development Group and also, a noted philanthropist.
“These guys all agreed to help within seconds of being told what we were doing,” said Scarlett.
The lunches will be paid for by a donation from the Glowbal Group.
Other items auctioned included an Impark VIP parking pass, and dinner for eight cooked by Vancouver master chef David Hawksworth at the home of the highest bidder, and eight personal training sessions from Innovative Fitness.
“We raised the money in about 10 minutes, which speaks of how the people in our office are concerned about this school and the need to feed kids. It’s not just money either, we’ve spent hundreds of volunteer hours down there.”