Minutes after launching the site, Squamish residents were showing support in the form of auction items.
"It is awesome," Scott McQuade said. "There are already so many people that are a part of it."
Two years ago, McQuade and Lauren Fraser joined forces to support a Squamish family whose son was battling leukemia. Just days before Christmas, Laura and Tasso Lazaridis were told that their then two-year-old Theo had cancer.
"The Lazaridis are our friends. I have two kids," McQuade said. "We are not doctors or magicians. We can't help the kid directly, but we can make sure that the family doesn't have to worry about finances."
So the duo set up Theo's Basecamp, a fundraising Facebook site to aid the family in paying for their sudden expenses. The money went toward supporting the parents as they took time off work to be by Theo's side.
This year the site is open again, but this time for three Squamish families with children fighting cancer - Theo, 18-month-old Lina Marie Palethorpe and six-year-old Jasmine Blake. Officially launched last week, the Facebook page - Squamish Kids Basecamp - features items people have placed on it for auction to raise money for the families and a location to bid on those products. People can either add to the items list or place bids on the auction objects.
Bidding is open now and will close on Friday, April 26 at 6 p.m., McQuade said. So far the auction includes everything from a round of mini-golf at the soon-to-open Whistle Punk Hollow Adventure Golf to a new kids mountain bike.
The Facebook site already has close to 2,000 members. It's amazing to see the outpouring of generosity, McQuade said.
Visit the Facebook site, bid or add to the auction items at www.facebook.com/groups/skbasecamp.
