[DDonovan]

June 25th Update

Well payments have started coming in and that is great! I have personally talked to all the Honda dealerships and they will be supplying a cash donation to the Charity as well as some really nice stuff for the participants. There will be something going on at each of the checkpoint with some prizes and give aways. SHC has donated some gift certificates as well as some nice raffle items including HID bulbs, a Momo Shift knob, and some car cleaning supplies. Kal Tire has provided a very nice road side emergency kit, and there is much much more..., then there are the cash prizes for top 3 poker hands.

I have been asked by quite a few people how this all works cuz they don't know how to play poker..., by no means do you need to know how to play poker. I will post up a sheet with all the Poker Hands and their rankings. The way this works is we drive up to Mt Washington either on your own, with a small group, or come on a nice scenic cruz with the larger group. We will stop at 6 pre-determined stops and at each one you will receive a playing card. You keep the card and put it into a supplied envelop. You can swap the card at that checkpoint if you have purchased a mulligan ticket. Some of the checkpoints are putting on a BBQ for us and for their customers (free for us and donations by the customers) and they are turning that money over to us to put into the final donation to Camp Shawnigan. Once we arrive at Mt Washington we will park the cars up on the brick parking lot for a bit of a show. We have the upper chalet reserved for us and that is where the dinner will be as well as all raffle items laid out on a table. You will get the 7th card when you arrive at the Mountain. With all your cards in an envelop you submit them to me. If you know poker hands you can write what you have on the envelop and if you don't we will tell you what your high hand is. Once we have all the hands handed in we will award cash prizes to the top 3 card hands..., there of course will be some nice items that we silent raffle off (you purchase tickets and put them into buckets for the item you want and we draw tickets during or after dinner). Last year pretty much everyone went home with something, plus the feeling of doing some good for handicapped children and their parents and families.

After dinner we have the place till midnight with a bar and bar staff so you can head out to see the mountain, head back to your accommodations, OR hang with us at the Chalet for a while. Next morning it is breakfast or brunch depending on when we all decide to meetup, and a cruz back to Victoria...,

If you need to get back to the mainland for Sunday you can make it as the Duke Point Ferry out of Nanaimo (1.5 hours from the mountain) doesn't leave until 11:45 so you have plenty of time to make it back as some did this last year.

That is it! Last year it was a fantastic time and we managed to send two kids with full supplies to camp. Two kids isn't much I agree but it is two more than could have gone and that is very satisfying and I thank all those that participated last year and those planning to participate this year.

Come on out and have some fun for a good cause. Rooms at the Mountain can be had for $89.00 - $189.00 per night if you book through my contacts and if you go to the Mt Washington web site, under accommodations, you can find even better deals. I got a complete townhouse for $75.00 per night off the accommodations page.

Approx 6 weeks left so please if you haven't signed up please do. Also time to start thinking about payment. I need to have payment by August 1st and can't accept too many more after that as food needs to be ordered and staff arranged as well as for the checkpoints they need to know how much freebie stuff to get for us. If you can't pay right now then at least confirm your attendance or if you can't make it let me know.

Thanks again everyone from me and the kids that will benefit!!!