Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to congratulate the citizens of my constituency of Red Deer.
A week ago, the Festival of Trees was held, which involved a great many events. The volunteers were honoured on this first evening. Without them and their months of hard work, this event could not have occurred. Then the sponsors banquet was held, one of the highlights in our community every year. This 13th annual event was no exception. The big event was the live auction of a house, including the lot and furniture. A total of $660,000 was raised on this one evening alone.
The next night was the Festival of Wines, and Don Sim, the auctioneer, successfully auctioned off a wide selection of wines and auction items. The Santa breakfast and final closing again went well.
The events were all sold out and all the money went to the operating facilities at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
This level of support and volunteerism in our community is something we are very proud of. I congratulate Red Deer.