Adam Johnson
Northern News Services
Published Friday, January 4, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - It was a big year for Yellowknife charities, and the Worker's Compensation Board did its part, as employees raised more than $15,000 across the North.

"The employees are really driven to do this," said Dave Grundy, director of communications and information.

Through participation in fundraising events, bake sales, raffles and auctions, WCB employees did their best to give back to the community - something the organization can't do itself.

"The WCB is unable to donate financially to charities like private businesses," said Theresa Wolfe, chair of WCB fundraising committee in an official release.

"Instead, our employees get creative to find ways to give back to the community as an organization."

Grundy said this is due to the nature of the WCB's funding, coming directly from employers in their assessments for insurance coverage.

"The vast majority of these employers already donate to the community in one way or another," he said, and therefore would rather not see their WCB contributions diverted to charity.

Grundy said the big hits this year were the silent auctions - one of which included a full turkey dinner with all the fixings.

Though he didn't have access to the direct totals, Grundy said the amount raised was a bit higher than last year, and in line with the $10,000-$15,000 employees raise every year.

"Every year we manage to raise more and more money for community charities," Wolfe said.

The money includes funds raised in both Nunavut and the NWT, and will go toward a variety of causes.

Every year, recipients include charities like the Salvation Army Christmas Families, the Yellowknife Women's Shelter, the Terry Fox Run, the Yellowknife Food Bank and the Canadian Cancer Society.

"There are people in our office who have been touched by cancer," Grundy said.

"Run for the Cure is very high on the list."