The Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN) is on a mission to give Sookies a new place to call their own, but they also want to give residents a free trip somewhere else entirely.
Their vision is what they call the Sooke Gathering Place. SRCHN pitches it as a new community space and drop-in centre, offering programming for elders and all other generations. The space will also be made available to other organizations and community members to rent for meetings, programs or events.
But constructing such a place is no easy feat, and SRCHN will need to raise $2 million to make it happen. They are well on their way, with $206,489.15 raised so far. To help achieve this lofty goal, SRCHN has a number of events planned, one of which is an upcoming auction where bidders will have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes, many provided by local businesses.
Some of the top prizes include a one-night stay at the Prestige Oceanfront Resort in Sooke and tickets to Butchart Gardens. Others include a cord of mixed firewood and 10 live Dungeness crab. But one of the top prizes will require some imagination from the winner: two tickets on any regularly scheduled WestJet destination.
The starting bid on the WestJet flight package will begin at $1,500.
The auction will begin on March 14 and run until March 16, with all money raised going towards the building of the Sooke Gathering Place.
For more information on the Sooke Gathering Place visit sookeregionchn.org/sgp and to place a bid visit 32auctions.com/SGP2025.
