Quesnel community benefits from unique fundraiser

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

An innovative fundraiser involving Northern Strike Paintball and Quesnel City Council has resulted in a donation of more than $1,800 being made to Big Brothers Big Sisters Quesnel.

Members of Northern Strike and City Council raised pledges and took part in a fast-paced paintball game on June 9. One team was tasked with escorting Quesnel Mayor Mary Sjostrom through the playing area, while the other team (including members of City Council) was on a mission to ambush the Mayor and her security detail.

"We know that Big Brothers Big Sisters Quesnel needs support, so we felt this would be a new way to raise funds for their organization," said Northern Strike Paintball President Peter Bond. "We thank Mayor and Council for participating, being such good sports, and learning a little more about the great sport of paintball. We're looking forward to making this an annual event to support different community organizations."

"This was certainly a unique idea, one that I was initially tentative about, given that everybody was going to be after me!" added Mayor Sjostrom. "But Big Brothers Big Sisters is such a good cause, I had to take part. It was a lot of fun and a great team-building exercise."

"We really appreciate the innovative fundraiser that Northern Strike Paintball devised, and Mayor and Council's active participation," said Cindy Lepetich, President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Quesnel. "This donation will help us continue to offer much-needed mentoring programs including Community/ Teen In-School Mentoring, Go Girls and Game On life skills sessions and Big Brother/Big Sister matches."

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Quesnel is dedicated to helping children develop their full potential through friendships and mentoring programs.

This is not the first year Northern Strike has gotten involved with a community organization. Last year its members provided toys for the Salvation Army through another fundraising initiative. Bond also believes that this was the first paintball game of this nature to involve local government officials.