Olivia the Brave Park fundraiser surpasses $100K

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This article was published 12/04/2024 (883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With a week left to go in the fundraiser for Olivia the Brave Park, the amount collected has crossed the $100,000 mark, according to organizer Amber White.

So far, residents have donated more than $50,000 toward the project. Local philanthropists Gord and Diane Peters pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations.

Speaking to the Sun on Thursday, White said she’s expecting another donation of $15,000 to come in sometime soon, adding to the total collected before the April 19 deadline.

“It’s been exciting and overwhelming,” White said. “It’s been busy, but amazing because that not only lets us do what we wanted to do with the park … but now it gives us other opportunities to look at other options for what we can do there.”

The city is set to add a play structure to the park this year. The budget for the project is $100,000, but residents in the Brookwood area are collecting funds to make the installation bigger and better.

The park, at the corner of Plateau and Goldenrod drives in the city’s southwest, is named after Olivia Baessler, a four-year-old girl who loved to play there before her death related to a congenital illness in 2020.

White said donations have come in not just from the neighbourhood containing the park, but other parts of the city and even outside the province.

“I’ve put on a lot of charity events and I’ve never seen something come together so quickly like this,” she said.

Among the additions under consideration for the park include a shaded area, some picnic benches and tables, features for other kids and possibly another memorial for Olivia.

Currently, a statue of Olivia riding her tricycle stands at one corner of the park. White said on a recent drive by the park, she saw a little girl sitting next to the statue, talking and playing with it.

“I thought that this little girl has no idea how much more she’s going to have to play with,” White said. “I’m excited that now more of them will get to know who Olivia actually was and what that statue represents, because we hope to have a bench that will tell her story on it.”

Donations will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on April 19. They can be sent via etransfer to oliviathebravepark@gmail.com or donors can contact White by email or call 204-730-0568 to arrange the drop-off of cash or a cheque.

The City of Brandon will be issuing charitable tax receipts to donors and White asks that they send her their name, address, phone number and email address.

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