Yard sale and barbecue at Trillium Villages give back to the community
Property manager Dorothy Arnold for the Trillium Villages Apartments in Chatham says giving back to the community gives her a good feeling, and she's proud to have been a part of the annual yard sale fundraiser for the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) in Chatham.
"I've been here for 12 years at Trillium Villages, it's like a second home to me, and I take it very personally," says Arnold. "Any good we do here, it's a very good feeling being able to help out our community."
Above handling the 331 units between six buildings and 20 townhouses, Arnold helps arrange the date, registration and advertising for the yard sale and barbecue.
The yard sale is set in a 36-space parking lot where registrants rent a parking space for $5 apiece. The proceeds from the spaces on June 25 went to the OSPCA, who also ran a barbecue to raise more money.
Trillium Villages donated $170 to the OSPCA, and some participants donated more than $5 for their parking spot, including one woman donated $35.
Community members buy parking spots to sell "everything from soup to nuts," says Arnold, who adds that more people get involved every year. Residents from Trillium Villages have a chance to put some of their unused household items, like furniture and tools, up for sale to make a few dollars.
"It's amazing how many people come to the yard sales," she says. "We advertise for weeks in advance so people can rent spaces, we put signs out on the side of the road, and the OSPCA gets a plug on the radio every day leading up to it."
"People like to sponsor (the OSPCA) and come out for a hot dog or hamburger in support," she adds.
Financial donations aren't the only way tenants from Trillium Villages support the OSPCA. Many of the tenants in the apartments and townhouses own pets they've adopted from the not-for-profit organization.
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