Do you know where Nelson’s Folly is located in New West? Where Cicero’s words are written in stone?
These may be among the clues you’ll have to solve in the Amazing New West Scavenger Hunt, a fundraiser being hosted by the Royal City Gogos on Sunday, Oct. 25 from 1 to 4 p.m.
“Gogos is grandmother in Zulu. We are a group of 65 New Westminster grandmother and granddaughters who fundraise in support of African grandmothers caring for children orphaned by AIDS,” Royal City Gogos founder Janine Reid told city council Oct. 5. “Our funds are donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign.”
The Royal City Gogos normally hold an artisan craft fair in November, but it can’t be held this year because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Instead, the Gogos have planned a family- and COVID-friendly scavenger hunt that will see teams taking to a route consisting of five zones. After receiving an email at 1 p.m. that contains 20 clues, teams will get to work performing the required tasks, taking a photo or video and emailing it to organizers – accumulating points along the way and earning bonus points if they do the challenges in costume.
The winner, which is the first team to reach 100 points, will take home $150, with the second-place team winning $100 and the third-place team receiving $50. In the event of a tie, the prize will be split between the winners.
“It will be a fun event for your team. It’s COVID safe. It will highlight the history and neighbourhoods of our city,” Reid said. “It will contribute to life-changing initiatives on the ground in Africa.”
Coun. Patrick Johnstone commended the Royal City Gogos forfinding a creative way to do fundraising in this challenging time and to bring the community together.
“It sounds fun,” he said.
The entry fee is $100 per car load, with the idea being that people in a COVID-safe bubble would compete as a team. Teams must register by Oct. 20.
Since 2008, the Royal City Gogos have raised more than $500,000 for the Grandmothers Campaign, which supports community-based projects that work with African grandmothers and the children in their care. The funds raised go to a variety of initiatives, including grief counselling, school fees and uniforms, seedlings and house construction, micro-credit loans, and HIV education and testing.
Earlier this summer, the Royal City Gogos held a “craft crawl” sale at four outdoor venues in Queen’s Park neighbourhood. More than 400 people attended the sale, which raised $23,000.
For more information about the Royal City Gogos or the Amazing New West Scavenger Hunt, go to www.royalcitygogos.org.
