When Betty and Don Brothers found out about a young family who have been down on their luck since the husband was laid off from his job, they knew they had to do something.
With the Brothers wanting to downsize from their house, they decided they would sell off many of their Christmas decorations, dishes, tablecloths and other treasures and give the money to the family to help them out during this holiday season.
“Through the grapevine I heard about this local family,” said Betty. “Apparently the husband got laid off and the mom is a stay-at-home mom. Being laid off before Christmas is terrible. I said to myself, we’re selling our house and it’s a good time to downsize all my Christmas things.”
The Brothers took out an ad in the local paper and have had a pretty good response, raising almost $1,000 for this young family.
Betty says they plan to have the sale one more day—Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at their home on 7004 First Street. She is hoping they will get an even bigger and better turnout to help the family even more. Most of the Christmas items can be had by donation. With over 150 items, there is sure to be something for everyone.
“My husband was a cabinet minister and used to get a lot of gifts so he had this picture of Kootenay Lake that someone bought for $250,” she said. “That really helped.”
In fact, her husband Don was a MLA for Rossland-Trail for five terms from 1958-1972. He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Mines and Petroleum Resources and as Minister of Education. He also served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Don and Betty have been married for 15 years and came to Grand Forks eight years ago.
“He traveled the world,” said Betty. “It’s amazing the amount of stuff he’s accumulated over the years; gifts of all kinds.”
