An update from Arena Board Chair Brooke Biscoe

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As you may have heard or read, the Leaside Arena Expansion Proposal was approved by the Budget Committee of City Council last night and will go to the full Council for approval next week as part of the 2012 Budget.  The proposal specifies that $2.5 million of the cost of building the new rink will come from local community fundraising.  We are committed to meeting that target by the time Council considers the budget next week.  And we are very close.  With your help I am confident that we will achieve this important milestone.

If you have not yet made your tax-receiptable donation, please consider doing so today.  If you donated in 2011 and are in a position to increase your contribution now that we are in a new calendar year, your generosity today will help to get us across the goal line.  Cheques should be made out to “The East York Foundation” and may be dropped off at the arena — before Friday afternoon if at all possible.  You can also donate on-line through Canada Helps which is linked from the donate page on our website, here.

In addition, the 3rd Annual Laugh Out Loud Arena Fundraiser hosted by Charlene Kalia will be held on Friday, February 24th in the William Lea Room.  Once again, this promises to be an enjoyable evening of music and comedy, with great food by Grill Time and tremendous silent and live auction items.  Individual tickets are $75 (same price as last year) and you can also reserve your seating by purchasing a full table of ten for $750.  All proceeds go to the expansion project and payment made within the next week will help us to meet our $2.5 million local fundraising goal to “get a shovel in the ground.”  To purchase tickets or tables, or for more information, contact Charlene Kalia, charlene@charlenekalia.com.

Thank you for your continuing support!

Brooke Biscoe, Arena Board Chair
Leaside Memorial Community Gardens.

PS — attached, in the read more, is our fundraising thermometer showing where we were as of late December.  A number of additional donations and pledge-fulfillments have come in since that time.