Ducks Unlimited auction raises $8K and helps widower heal
Saturday's Ducks Unlimited fundraising auction in Springfield, New Brunswick raised about $8,000 for wetlands projects, but for one of the organizers, it was also part of the healing process after losing his wife.
Bill Cooper joined Ducks Unlimited in 1979 and over the decades has purchased collectables at their banquets ranging from prints to sculptures.
Many of the items were bought for his wife Carol, who died in April of last year.
Cooper says the time was right to donate the items and last night he sold or raffled-off more than 100 pieces of his vast collection as a way to give back — and to move on.
He expects it will be an emotional experience to see the items sold.
"Yes and no," Cooper said. "Yes they will, but I've closed a book on that chapter. And I'm doing it too because I have to."
New Brunswick events manager for Ducks Unlimited, Rae Tretiak, says none of their provincial members have ever done anything like this.
"For a volunteer to step up and do something like this is pretty significant," he said.
Saturday's auction was so well attended, people were standing along the edges of the hall to eat their meal.
The money will go to wetlands projects within New Brunswick.
Cooper has asked that half of the proceeds go toward Project Webfoot, a program run by Ducks Unlimited that takes classes into the wetlands to teach them about it.
The money will be enough to take eight Grade 4 classes out for field trips.
