Through its online silent auction last month, the Airdrie Professional Firefighters Association’s (APFA) charitable organization raised nearly $8,000 for four charity organizations
The auction was held as an alternative for the APFA’s annual rooftop camp-out for muscular dystrophy, which sees members of the association spend 72 hours atop the roof of the Toad 'n' Turtle Pubhouse and Grill to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada. The three-day initiative, hosted every February, was cancelled this year and shifted to an online auction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The silent auction ended up taking place from March 23 to 29 and featured a number of items donated by local individuals and businesses.
“It was very successful,” said APFA president Matt Elgie. “Despite the negative impacts of the pandemic, we are trying to find ways to make sure different people in our community have what they need.”
The nearly $8,000 raised will be equally divided by Muscular Dystrophy Canada, the Airdrie Food Bank, Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society and Airdrie P.O.W.E.R. (Protecting Our Women with Emergency Resources).
“We love to have firefighters in the community interacting with the public,” Elgie said. “That has been taken away from us for the time being, but these guys are all creative and we are finding different ways to try and continue giving back, despite restrictions.”
