Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity today to give my sincere thanks and to recognize the generous spirit of Yellowknifers, whether they be residents, small businesses or large corporations, in the way they volunteer, participate and sponsor numerous fundraising events.
This spirit is demonstrated all year round, Mr. Speaker, but it might be fair to say that things really start with a big bang in the fall. This year is no exception. In the month of September, there were major fundraising events almost every weekend. It started with the Terry Fox Run, which was held on September 16th under a clear blue sky and warm temperature, which helped bring to life our heavy hearts following the September 11th tragedy. The run raised over $30,000.
On the same weekend, the community came out in full force again to raise $40,000 for the firefighters lost in New York. This was followed by the 8th Annual Aids Walk the following weekend and the CIBC Run for the Cure for breast cancer the weekend after that. The latest figure from this event was $140,000.
That is not all, Mr. Speaker. The very following weekend, on October 16th, the community came out again for the Stanton Hospital Multicultural Dinner and Silent Auction, where the organizers surpassed their goal of $10,000 that they had set for themselves.
Mr. Speaker, so many individuals are involved and the names of those people cannot be mentioned here. I feel very bad about that. May I just close by saying my sincere thanks to everyone who participates in these events in any capacity. I know that we Yellowknifers are truly generous people and I am proud to be one of them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause