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A lifeline of support

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 6 Ladies Auxiliary donates thousands to causes in Cloverdale, Surrey, and across the region.
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Representatives from a range of non-profit organizations and charities pose with members of the the Ladies Auxiliary to Royal Canadian Legion Branch 6 at a recent luncheon.

To those whom they quietly help out, the members of the Ladies' Auxiliary in Cloverdale offer a lifeline of support.

The Ladies Auxiliary has been around just as long as the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 6 – more than 85 years. Both groups raise funds for the community, distributing thousands of dollars each year.

In the past three years, the Ladies' Auxiliary to Branch 6 has disbursed $46,000 to community organizations and three local high schools. (Provincially, Ladies Auxiliaries raised $2.1 million in 2014, money that ripples out across B.C.)

On June 17, the Ladies Auxiliary held a luncheon and cheque presentation for a range of groups serving the greatest needs of the community, from the Cloverdale Community Kitchen and Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation, to the B.C. Guide Dog Association and the B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation, along with more than a dozen other grateful groups.

The donations help those organizations make a greater impact, according to representatives from the recipient groups, who used the event as an opportunity to spread awareness of the kind of work they perform – and thank the Ladies' Auxiliary for its generosity.

http://webpapersadmin.bcnewsgroup.com/portals/uploads/cloverdale/.DIR288/wEvelyn.jpgEvelyn, a black lab and guide dog in training, was among the recipients on hand for the luncheon, sitting quietly underneath a dining table until it was time for human representatives of the B.C. Guide Dog Association to accept a donation of $1,000. The association has trained 109 guide dog teams and another 33 autism support teams.

Zion Park Manor, a long-term care facility in Cloverdale, currently cares for 99 seniors. The $1,000 donation will go along way towards setting up a pond and waterfall at the residence, according to representative Earle Hastings speaking at the event.

Another recipient was Semiahmoo Search and Rescue, an organization with 30 water rescue volunteers that's active in the White Rock and Boundary Bay areas.

George Derby Centre has received a $2,000 donation, along with another $5,000 from the provincial Ladies Auxiliary. The centre is home to 300 residents, including about 200 B.C. veterans.

"We cannot be successful without our community partners," said Ricky Swan, executive director of George Derby centre. The Ladies Auxiliary is the biggest."

In all, $16,750 was donated to worthwhile causes in Surrey, Vancouver, Burnaby, Langley and Delta:

$1,000 Cloverdale Community Kitchen

$2,000 George Derby Centre

$1,500 Veterans Wheelchair Afternoon

$1,000 Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities

$500 Versatiles

$1,000 Breakfast for Children

$750 Clayton Heights Secondary School

$750 Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary

$750 Fleetwood Park Secondary

$1,000 Amos Ferguson Society

$1,000 Willow House Addictions

$1,000 Canuck Place

$1,000 Zion Manor

$1,000 Women's Heather Centre

$500 B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation

$500 B.C. Guide Dogs

$500 Semi Search and rescue

$1,000 Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation.

*monies raised at bazaar in November

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