A 10-year-old Burns Lake boy recently raised funds for the Prince George Hospice Society to honor his great aunt who passed away a year ago.
Dalton West decided to honour his great aunt Roberta Alec, after she passed away last year on Feb. 1.
“On Feb. 1 it will be one year since my Mama Robbie went to heaven. In honour of Mama Robbie and as our tradition, I have been growing my hair for one year. Once the year is up, I would be cutting my hair. I would like to raise money to donate to the Prince George Hospice House in honour of Mama Robbie,” West had said in a statement last year.
After this, he started raising money through friends and family and had a goal of raising $1,000.
“I will be giving my donation to PG Hospice House within the week of Feb. 1, 2021 as a thank you for all they have done for Mama Robbie and my family,” he wrote.
The fundraiser was posted on Jan. 18, which was also Roberta Alec’s birthday. By Jan. 21, West had already surpassed his goal of $1,000 and had managed to raise $1,640 in donations. He then decided to keep the fundraiser open until Feb. 1 and by the time the fundraiser ended, West had managed to raise $3,760.
“Ten year old Dalton West from Burns Lake came in today on the one year anniversary of the passing of his great aunt Roberta Alec. To honour his Mama Robbie and in the Carrier tradition, Dalton spent one year growing his hair to grieve his loss. He then announced that he would be accepting donations in Roberta’s honour, and we are beyond grateful to be the recipients of the $3,760 Dalton raised. The incredible determination of one young man to honour his beloved Aunt. The Prince George Hospice Society is so blessed and grateful for your generous donation. Mesiy C’o Dalton,” said a post on the society’s Facebook page.
West gave a small speech before presenting his cheque to the hospice society in which he thanked everyone who donated and expressed his gratitude towards the Prince George Hospice Society’s staff for taking care of his great aunt and his family.
“We are so proud of him for his big heart, learning and following our culture, and for his courage to do his speech. love and light to all, mesiy c’o for your continued support to the Alec & Prince families in honouring Roberta Rita Alec today,” said Kerry Alec, the mother of West, in a Facebook post sharing West’s fundraising journey.
Priyanka Ketkar
Multimedia journalist
@PriyankaKetkar
priyanka.ketkar@ldnews.net
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