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Central Saanich church to host fundraiser centred on donated original art

Funds from May 28 fundraiser at St. Stephens Anglican Church in Central Saanich to support Ukraine
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Pam Rowden and Lois Shannon hold up ‘Slavic Artichoke’ by local artist L. Thiessen, one of his 25 original pieces that are part of a silent auction running Saturday, May 28 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at St. Stephens Church in Central Saanich. (Wolf Depner/News Staff)

A fundraiser for Ukraine combines the artistic with the culinary.

Scheduled for May 28 at St. Stephens Anglican Church in Central Saanich, the cash-only fundraiser includes a silent auction for 25 original pieces by L. Thiessen, a local artist who donated the pieces. Thiessen’s friend, Pam Rowden, is helping to organize the event.

“He never wanted to sell any of them,” said Rowden, who added it’s very good.

While they originally toyed with the idea of donating the pieces, they eventually landed on having a silent auction.

“So that is how it all began,” Rowden said.

The fundraiser starts at 10 a.m., ending at 4 p.m., with bidding closing at 3 p.m. “That way, it will give us time to call all the bidders.”

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A local band, Doctor Bones Project, will play live music between 2 and 4 p.m. and local vendors have donated a variety of door prizes. Interested parties can also purchase Ukrainian food with the food frozen for future preparation at home.

Rowden said all the money raised will go toward the Ukrainian Cultural Centre to aid and support families re-relocating to Greater Victoria.

“We were not given a family name, but we will leave that up the Ukrainian Culture Centre,” she said.

Overall, Rowden and her small group of friends wanted to do something for the people who live in these “dreadful times.”


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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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