One local business owner was giving away a Vegas vacation at his open house Sept. 8 - 9.
Tony Bhinder, owner of Mainland Truck & Trailer Sales and Blue Capital Equipment Finance held a two-day event Sept. 8 - 9 to showcase his new location, but also to highlight a Cloverdale charity—Punch Out Parkinson’s.
“I’m overwhelmed with all the support today,” Bhinder said Sept. 8. “Everyone is here to support such a great cause.”
Though the event was a BBQ/open house to introduce Mainland Truck & Trailer Sales and Blue Capital Equipment Finance to the neighbourhood, Bhinder created a charity event out of it to support Punch Out Parkinson’s—a Cloverdale charity that is raising funds to open a Parkinson’s wellness centre.
As a way of saying thanks for supporting Punch Out Parkinson’s, Bhinder was giving away TVs, prizes, and one trip to Vegas.
“We were hoping to raise $75,000,” said Bhinder. “We already raised fifty, before today, so add that to whatever we get today and tomorrow.”
Bhinder expected to see hundreds of people over the course of the two-day event.
The BBQ featured an array of carnival style games, including a police officer dunk tank, a virtual driving range, a speed bag boxing arcade game, and a bunch of other fun games. There was also free food for all attendees.
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Punch Out Parkinson’s is also holding a charity boxing night Oct. 20 called “Guns and Hoses” and Mainland Truck-Blue Capital is the title sponsor.
Frankie La Sasso and his mom Laurentia LaSasso run Punch Out Parkinson’s.
Laurentia was excited to see so many people out supporting the BBQ.
“The day is going really well,” she said. “There have been a lot of people coming in and I think we’ve already raised about ten grand.”
Every dollar during the open house weekend will be donated to Punch Out Parkinson’s
Frankie said the support was “amazing” and he was very happy with the amount of money raised so far.
“It just shows how a lot of people in the community are behind what we’re trying to put together,” he said. “It’s a great feeling.”
Frankie said Guns and Hoses was not yet sold out and that if anyone wanted to enjoy a black-tie boxing gala in October to head over to punchoutparkinsonsgala.ca to grab some tickets.
“It’s going to be one helluva show,” added Frankie. “I know some of the guys personally that have been training at our gym and preparing for their fights. It’s going to be an exciting night.”
Guns and Hoses will feature three-round fights between police officers and firefighters with all proceeds from the event going to help fund a non-for-profit care centre—the Punch Out Parkinson’s Wellness Centre.
The night will start with a cocktail hour then buffet dinner, followed by the matches. After the seven-fight card, gala-goers will enjoy an event that will shift to a night of music and dance.
“It’s going to be much more than just fights,” added Frankie. “There’ll be music and entertainment, great food–one great night for one great cause.”
Frankie said he couldn’t be more thankful to Tony Bhinder and Mainland Trucking.
“From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “The really stepped up and really put themselves out there for our cause.”
Guns and Hoses is scheduled for Oct. 20. It will be held at the Aria Banquet & Convention Centre in North Surrey. For more info, to get tickets, or to view the evening’s full program, visit punchoutparkinsonsgala.ca.
Frankie and Lauren are also accepting donations for the wellness centre through punchoutparkinsonsgala.ca.