It was a wild, wild affair Friday May 10th at the Summit Lodge Whistler, as we transformed the hotel into the “Wild West” to host our annual charity fundraiser.
To be exact, it was the “Wild, Wild, Pacific NorthWest” – because we think Whistler’s coastal geography is worth celebrating.
Now in its third year, Summit’s annual fundraiser has quickly become an anticipated tradition, raising money in 2017 and 2018 to build schools in Mexico and Africa, respectively.
Guests mingled in the ornately decorated lobby to the sounds of The Tequila Monkeys while our resident DJ Duo Badge and Bobs bumped beats by the pool. Local brewers The Beer Farmers and Pemberton Distillery were in the house serving drinks, while food was catered by chef Adam Protter.
A fan favourite, the silent auction took place in the hotel cafe, EightyOne, featuring dozens of epic prizes from local businesses. Other festivities included pin the tail on the donkey, piñatas, balloon popping, and an inflatable “mechanical” bull.
Proceeds from this year’s party are being put into familiar hands. In 2017 we partnered with The Rock Church in Squamish to build a classroom in San Quentin, Mexico, and in 2018 we partnered with the Pemberton Lions Club to provide infrastructure for the Phelisanong Centre in Lesotho, Africa. This year, we’re partnering with both organizations to provide further support for these initiatives.
For example, the Phelisanong Centre, which provides housing, education, and therapy for children living with disabilities, wishes to own more chickens in order to sell eggs to cover teacher wages and other valuable expenses. As such, attendees had the option to donate chickens and other livestock to provide Lesotho locals with sustainable food and income sources.
Summit General Manager Tony Medd is thankful for the support the party received:
“We’d like to thank all our sponsors and friends who took part in the third annual Summit Lodge Fundraiser. Our Wild, Wild Pacific NorthWest themed party was a hit with over 400 attendees showing up to support.
As a family, we at the Summit Lodge have chosen to tackle poverty as our part in making the world a better place. We believe that education is a key part in breaking the cycle of poverty.”
Thank to the tremendous support of all attendees and sponsors, we will be able to donate more than $11k as a result of this year’s party.
If you’d like to learn more about these initiatives and how you can get involved, please email tony@summitlodge.com
We’d like to especially thank Vancouver’s Holborn Group for their generous contribution, as well as all the local businesses who supported the party with silent auction prizes and other goodies: Audain Art Museum, Araxi Restaurant & Oyster Bar, BAR HOP Whistler, BC Ferries, Bodyshop, Be Beauty Spa & Tanning Lounge, Brittania Mine Museum, Canadian Wilderness Adventures, COWS, Crepe Montagne, Escape Whistler, Farfalla Hair & Esthetics, Long Beach Lodge Resort, Rope Runner Aerial Park, Ruby Tuesday Accessories Ltd, Sundance Guest Ranch, The Sutton Place Hotel, The Adventure Group Whistler, Vallea Lumina, Whistler Dog Walkers, Whistler Year-Round Fishing, Ziptrek Ecotours Inc., Stuf’d, PureBread Bakery, Andrea Mueller Art, Underground Tuning, San Juan Cruises, Copper Cayuse Outfitters, Portage Station Restaurant, EightyOne Whistler, Mott 32 Vancouver, The Circle, Trek Dirt Series, The Rock Church, Squamish Detail Centre, Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Aava Whistler Hotel, Image of the Invisible, Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver, Gibbons Whistler
For media, a folder of high resolution images from the party can be accessed here.
The Summit Lodge is Whistler’s award-winning boutique hotel, with multiple accolades including 5x “Canada’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel”, “Canada’s Best Hotel Service”, “North America’s Most Unique Guest Experience”, and the 2019 TripAdvisor “Travellers’ Choice” Award as one of the top 25 hotels in Canada.
