Inaugural event a 'win-win for everybody'

Event planning committee member Dave Shier was very pleased with the response to the first ever Teddy Bear Picnic which took place at the George Leach Centre Saturday afternoon. The fundraiser included more than 50 teddy bear gift packages valued between $25 and $375 that were up for auction. All items were donated by area businesses and organizations.

“The business community really responded,” said Shier. “It was pretty successful. We’ll do it again, absolutely.”

Admission was free and included snacks, story times, and many activities and games geared towards children. All funds raised go to support Kiwanis Club of Lakeshore, The Action Club of Lakeshore and the Algoma Autism Foundation.

“Kiwanis is all about kids and making the community better,” Shier said. “Because there’s a lot of children impacted by autism in our community, we decided it was a good cause and wanted to help those kids. It’s a win-win for everybody.”