by Marty Brown
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 17/97) - Smiles were the order of the day at the official opening of the Baker Community Centre Wednesday afternoon.

And rightly so. The centre is paid for, all $700,000 of it, and in just 20 months.

Mayor Dave Lovell said he was proud to be a citizen of Yellowknife because its citizens always rise to the occasion.

No territorial or federal government money found its way into the community centre as all capital came from local organizations and residents.

The recreation centre got started with a gift of $100,000 from the community-minded Ed Baker.

He died before the building was finished but his niece, Isabell McDorman, told the crowd that her uncle always said you have to put back into the community.

"He said 'I made my money in Yellowknife and that's where it's going to stay,' " she said.

The Elk's Club got on board early in the campaign matching Baker's contribution. The City of Yellowknife also matched Baker's contribution as well as staff doing work amounting to savings of many thousands of dollars during construction.

Al Falconer, president of the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Seniors and master of ceremonies for the afternoon, mentioned a long list of funding sources, including bingos, auctions, raffles and individuals.

Kids even brought in the proceeds from lemonade stands.

Jim Wylie, president of the Yellowknife Seniors Society, said he couldn't initially figure out how they could raise nearly three quarters of a million dollars in these tough economic times.

"I was out canvassing door-to-door in Northland Trailer Park when a young women opened the door. I started my spiel.

" She had three young children and said 'I've been waiting for you. You guys deserve a recreation centre,' she said, and handed me a $20 bill. I knew then we'd raise the money," he said.

Money came in from the now-defunct Giant Mine Recreation Club -- $52,000 of it.

Ladies of the Midnight Sun, The IODE and Northern Homecrafters were other non-active Yellowknife groups who cleaned out bank accounts to the tune of $13,000.

The building not only houses seniors recreation events, but community events, the local Canadian National Institute for the Blind office and the NWT Seniors Association office.