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Semiahmoo Foundation raises $60,000 for affordable housing

Money to be used for affordable, inclusive housing in South Surrey area
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The Semiahmoo Foundation raised close to $60,000 for affordable and inclusive housing in South Surrey at its Gala of Shooting Stars event Oct. 21. (Contributed photo)

The Semiahmoo Foundation raised close to $60,000 last month for affordable and inclusive housing in South Surrey at its Gala of Shooting Stars event.

Held at Hazelmere Golf & Tennis Club, the Oct. 21 event – a spinoff of the foundation’s Taste of BC’s Finest fundraiser –attracted 210 people.

A Taste of BC’s Finest, which ran consecutively for 12 years, was not held last year as the foundation brainstormed ways to revamp the annual fundraiser, said event planner Deena Safi.

The new gala featured about 10 vendors for a wine and cocktail tasting reception that led into a three-course dinner. It featured a speaking program where they could highlight South Surrey’s Chorus development – a 71-unit, $15.4-million building for people with developmental disabilities and units of affordable rental housing that launched one year ago after 13 years of planning.

Money raised through the gala is dedicated to a construction similar to the Chorus development.

Safi said Semiahmoo House owns land in South Surrey for the proposed project.

“We’d like to duplicate and better that model,” she said. “We want to rebuild a second unit like that. We do have properties and land and stuff that we’re considering.”

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Chorus apartment tenants and recipients of support from Semiahmoo House Society Stacey, Krista, Jason and Alexa. (Contributed photo)
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Semiahmoo Foundation ambassador Larry Shareski and Surrey South MLA Stephanie Cadieux. (Contributed photo)
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Semiahmoo House Society executive director Doug Tennant holds a light for guest speaker Michaela Robinson at the Semiahmoo Gala event Oct. 21. (Contributed photo)
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The Semiahmoo Foundation raised close to $60,000 for affordable and inclusive housing in South Surrey at its Gala of Shooting Stars event Oct. 21. (Contributed photo)
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The Semiahmoo Foundation raised close to $60,000 for affordable and inclusive housing in South Surrey at its Gala of Shooting Stars event Oct. 21.
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The Semiahmoo Foundation raised close to $60,000 for affordable and inclusive housing in South Surrey at its Gala of Shooting Stars event Oct. 21. (Contributed photo)


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