'A Bradford Christmas' fundraising auction in support of Emily's House hospice starts today.
Bradford sisters Sarah and Emily Dahlgren are the duo behind A Bradford Christmas, who host regular community fundraisers for local charities.
This holiday season they have thrown their support behind Bradford charity Hockey for Grace.
Chris and Amy Manning started Hockey for Grace in memory of their daughter Grace, who passed away in 2016 at just eight days old. Weighing only four pounds, four ounces, Grace Gabriella was placed in Neonatal Intensive Care, then transferred to the Hospital for Sick Children where it showed through an MRI she had no brain function, beyond basic brain stem activity that allowed her to breathe.
With the devastating news, The Mannings were able to stay with Grace in her final days at Emily's House where they were able to enjoy their final moments together as a family.
It was shortly after Grace's passing that Chris came up with the idea of the Hockey for Grace annual memorial game, allowing them to raise money for Emily's House.
Each year the game is played with funds raised going to Emily's House.
With the online silent auction and other fundraising initiatives this season, the Dahlgren sisters are hoping to raise $25,000 for the cause.
The online silent auction will run from Nov. 13 - Nov. 20, with items and prizes being donated by businesses and residents.
"Every donation received is greatly appreciated and gets us closer to our fundraising goal of $25,000 for Emily's House Toronto," said Emily.
"If someone is looking for a fabulous gift, purchasing an item from the amazing array of items hosted on our online silent auction is a wonderful way to support Emily's House Toronto. It is also a brilliant way to support small businesses, it's truly a win-win relationship," added Sarah.
The girls say they are fortunate to have teamed up with so many local businesses already who have donated to the cause.
One of the sponsors this year is the RICE Group, which has donated a special raffle prize of a boxed suite for a Toronto Maple Leafs game at Scotia Bank Arena.
"RICE Group's donation is a true representation of Hockey for Grace and Emily's House Toronto, and receiving this donation feels like Christmas; as in A Bradford Christmas!" said Emily. "A Bradford Christmas, from the beginning, has been very fortunate to have an amazing supportive community and we are truly grateful!'
Those who cannot donate a silent auction item can still help by donating or sponsoring a 'Wish List' item by emailing the sisters directly at [email protected].
The sisters are in the process of obtaining charitable status for A Bradford Christmas and are not able to give out tax receipts for this event, but note all of the sponsors will be promoted on A Bradford Christmas's social media platforms.
Check out the items up for grabs here.
Auction runs until Sunday, Nov. 20.
