A team of high school students are holding a barbecue fundraiser in early June to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Jacob Acheson, Rachel Berekoff, Sunveer Dhaliwal, Claire Kenzie, Heayee Rolston and David Wu are holding the fundraiser as part of the Summerland Rotary Club’s $100 Challenge.
Under the challenge, teams of students receive $100 from the service club and use the money for a fundraising initiative to help a charity.
The students chose the Heart and Stroke Foundation because each of them have had someone close to them affected by heart disease or stroke.
Around 20 years ago, Berekoff’s aunt, then 25, had a stroke.
“It’s really impacted how she’s had to live her life,” Berekodff said.
Others in the team have also watched as relatives or family friends have had to cope with heart or stroke problems.
“Most of us have been impacted by heart and stroke,” Rolston said.
Mirjana Komljenovic, a Summerland Rotary Club member working with the students, said heart and stroke issues are common and have touched many people. “Pretty much every family in Canada has been affected,” she said.
The fundraiser, to be held on June 3, will be a barbecue and flower show at Windmill Garden Centre in Summerland. The students will also sell pansies at the event.
While the show is to be held on the Sunday of the Summerland Action Festival, they expect people will attend because of the cause and the effects heart disease and stroke have had on many families.
They will also promote the event in coming weeks, and they plan to speak about it at the awards ceremony following the Giant’s Head Run the evening before their fundraiser.