The Copper Island Pub in Sorrento is hosting a silent auction to raise funds for a local resident dealing with ALS

Shuswap residents are rallying around one of their own as he battles a serious ailment.

Copper Island Pub is organizing a silent auction to raise funds for a Chris Auber who has been diagnosed with ALS.

The pub will have a silent auction Feb. 18 to raise money for Auber and his family.

Copper Island Pub owner Dawson Macmullin is organizing the fundraiser.

He said Auber was a regular that he got to know soon after he bought the pub.

“He would come in and he'd have a scotch, we’d talk a little bit, and then he'd go home.”

“He's just a genuine guy, he's just a very, very nice human,” said Macmullin. “All of my staff just love the guy."

But last year, they started seeing less and less of Auber at the pub.

“So I messaged him a few times and he always just kind of said, 'Oh, yeah, going through a couple of things here, nothing to worry about,'” Macmullin said.

“Then I saw a Facebook post that his wife, Ruth, had put up, and it said, 'Please help us out my husband was diagnosed with ALS and we're really struggling.'”

That’s when Macmullin decided to take action.

“I instantly called them up and said 'If it's OK with you guys, I'll try and hold a little fundraiser and see if we can get a silent auction going.'"

The Copper Island Pub has held successful fundraisers in the past.

When a woman’s house burned down and she lost all of her possessions, Macmullin organized a silent auction.

“And we were able to raise $3,500 that was able to go towards kid’s clothes and new shoes and all that kind of stuff and, and helping out with the rent for the place she had to get,” Macmullin explained.

Auber and his wife met in the UK before moving to Sorrento, where they hoped to settle for the rest of their lives.

“Genuinely Chris is just that nice of a person. He's been married to Ruth for 36 years, they have four daughters and eight grandchildren,” Macmullin said.

“I know that for 36 years, Chris has been trying to take Ruth to Singapore where he was born, and trying to show her around and meet his family and see the sights and stuff, but they haven't been able to go for 36 years,” Macmullin continued.

“I know that they've booked a flight now and finally they're able to go even though his mobility is already getting limited.”

Auber was diagnosed with ALS in October 2023.

Macmullin said they’re still looking for donations to make the silent auction a success.

“There's a lot of gift cards coming in from local businesses and such and that's amazing to see, but we could obviously use a lot more,” he said.

“The last silent auction we had about 40 items, right now I think we're at about seven.”

He said they are accepting donations of all kinds.

Macmullin hopes that this fundraiser can help make things easier for Auber and his family in this difficult time.

“If there's someone in our community that's in need, and if there's anything I can do to help them I'm going to do that,” he said.

For more information or to make a donation to the auction, contact the Copper Island Pub at 250 675 2254.