It was another record-setting year for Abbotsford’s Holiday Toy Drive.
The third annual event surpassed last year’s fundraising totals by over $10,000, collecting a grand total of $31,727 of money and toys for BC Children’s Hospital and Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.
A total of $22,802 in funds and another $8,925 in toys were gathered, surpassing the 2021 amount of $20,350.
The event began on Nov. 25 and lasted until Dec. 18.
Event organizer and Abbotsford wrestler Jasmit Phulka said he is pleased with another strong showing for the event.
“I am extremely grateful for my partners, Rajin Gill and Gurbaj Gill for going above and beyond to make this toy drive a huge success,” he stated. “I also want to thank each and every donor because without you, none of this would’ve been possible.”
Phulka shared that the idea behind the fundraiser came about following the death of his grandmother in 2020.
“I really wanted to honor her legacy by giving back and doing something during the holiday season,” he said. “She always told me to do good for other people and leave the world a better place than you found it.”
Over the three years of the event Phulka and his partners have now raised more than $65,000.
Phulka is currently on a mission to qualify for Canada’s wrestling team in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. He most recently earned a bronze medal in his 74 kilogram freestyle division at the Kristjan Palusalu Memorial in Estonia on Nov. 5 and 6.
He also heads to Minnesota in 2023 in order to prep for the upcoming Olympic trials.
Prior to this most recent result, Phulka finished 16th at the 2022 World Championships in Serbia in September, third at the Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom in August and eighth at the 2022 Senior Pan-American Championships in Mexico in May.
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