Tour of Hope raises $14K

Photo: Castanet Staff

A Penticton family is feeling “thankful” to live in the community after hosting a successful fundraiser for BC Children’s Hospital this weekend.

The Tour of Hope raised $14,100 Saturday evening at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, easily topping the organizer’s goal of $10,000.

Neeley Brimer held the sold-out event to give back to the BC Children’s Hospital for the care it provided to her son, eight-year-old Wills Hodgkinson.

Wills was diagnosed with cancer just over a year ago and spent a significant amount of time in Vancouver receiving treatment.

Things are looking much better for Wills now, allowing him to return to school and sports.

“Everything is looking exactly the way it should be now,” Brimer said.

“Time after time I’m blown away by how generous this community is,” she said. “They came out to help us when William got sick and now that William isn’t sick anymore and we are wanting to give back to the hospital, everybody in Penticton still showed up and opened their wallets and hearts.”

Brimer says she hopes to build the Tour of Hope into an annual event that will be bigger and better next year.

On Saturday Brimer also presented the Eden Invitational with a $2,500 cheque in support of the BC Cancer Agency.

The event's founder, Ryan Eden, has been battling cancer himself and provided a great deal of support, therapy and friendship to William’s family as he was battling cancer. The annual golf fundraiser benefits the cancer agency. 

“We thought it would be a nice little side gift to give back to him for supporting us so much over the past and continue the cause to fight cancer,” Brimer said.