The Canadian Women’s Club charity auction just held at the Mount Gay’s Visitor Centre on Spring Garden was an excellent venue where lots of money was raised for many key charities across the island. The businesses who provide donations see it as an opportunity to both give back and acquire new customers, especially expatriates.

The popular annual event gets much media coverage via the Club’s newsletter distributed to hundreds of members, their website, inserts in foreign newspapers and magazines distributed in Barbados like the online newspaper you now are browsing, as well as corporate/offshore offices.

Gifts in kind received are sold during our annual Food Festival & Charity Auction which attracts around 300 Canadians and friends for not only the eats, but the live and silent auctions. Last year, CWC raised over $42,000 at this event alone – thanks to hundreds of volunteers and donors. This year had quite a display of Art from members up for bid in the silent auctions.

Examples of gift received from a variety of organizations and people include: weekends at various hotels and resorts, paintings, boat tours, fancy lunches and dinners, specialized services, gift certificates, jewelry, golf rounds, etc. This year a team of chefs from the Hilton were brought in to show they grill chicken satay strips among other carnivorous delicacies.

The Canadian Women Club (CWC) of Barbados organizes social and charitable events to engage Canadian residents in the local community. Since 1922, Canadian women have spent countless hours on raising and spending funds to help those in need.

The community services committee with its $120,000 budget currently supports 21 local non-profit organizations and the Child Care Board with its new program with the Children Homes. The club’s projects are recognized for their success because its members are professional, committed and well connected across diverse sectors.

The highlight this year was Eugene Melnyk‘s donation (also bragging of a diet and slimmed physique) of a chance to be an “Owner For A Day,” where fans of the Ottawa Senators hockey team bid at the opportunity of a stay in Canada at a five-star hotel to watch the Sens train, Breakfast with a Coach and watch their opposing team train and later that evening watch a game from the Owner’s box.

Bidding for the item was even done via Blackberry Messenger from Canada to Barbados! You need to understand something essential – for Canadians, hockey is like what soccer is for Brazilians; it is as natural as breath or sleeping or belching after a good meal. The bidding was so heavy that eventually in a typical show of generosity, Eugene agreed to allow the two main bidders to earn the prize at $10,000 each and thus the CWC earned far more than last year’s tally.

Another popular bid was Scott Ames coming to your home and cook for 8, this went for $610 last year but about $2-thousand this time! A Catherine Forter Chee-A-Tow painting went for close to Two-Thousand dollars and there was also an iPad from Digicel among the other hot-ticket items. The Zig-E Band kept the place lively with their mix of percussion, bass and steel pan.