Fundraiser chugs past goal

Photo: Darren Handschuh

The results are in for an Okanagan Rail Trail fundraiser, which organizers say far exceeded expectations.

An anonymous donor offered to match up to $50,000 of donations in the first 10 days of July, but as donations rolled in to the tune of $33,000 in the first three days, the donor upped the ante.

The matching price was bumped up to $100,000, but donations continued to surprise the donor.

“It was just so exciting to see the donations coming in, I wanted to see it continue,” the anonymous donor said in a news release. "I never imagined the donations would more than double the $100,000 I already provided.”

In total, 876 donors committed $225,211 to the Canada Day Matching Funds Challenge. North Okanagan residents Don and Cathy Archibald stepped up to help the anonymous donor match the donations, bringing the total up to $450,422.

That brings the Okanagan Rail Trail's campaign up to nearly $700,000, funding nearly 4.4 kilometres of trail construction.

The trail, which would span 48.5 km, would follow a discontinued rail corridor starting near Okanagan Lake in Kelowna, moving along Wood Lake and Kalamalka Lake, ending in Coldstream.

“This trail will help shape the future of this valley and provide an incredible legacy for our communities,” Don Archibald said. “We need to do all we can to ensure this trail gets built as soon as possible to allow us all to enjoy the benefits.”

In total, the campaign has benefitted from nearly 1,400 donors.