Chilliwack Softball Raises $7,500 for Wildfire Relief

When wildfires forced hundreds from their homes in British Columbia's interior, a group of Chilliwack businesses picked up their softball gloves to help.

The Battle of the Businesses charity tournament at Tzeachten Sportsfield on August 11 raised $7,500 for wildfire relief efforts. Teams competed in two divisions, with winners choosing which charities received the prize money.

Canex Building Supplies won the competitive division and directed their $4,000 prize to the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services. The Salvation Army's own team came in second, adding another $2,000 to their disaster relief fund.

Century 21 Real Estate took home the recreational division title. They chose Ruth and Naomi's Mission, a faith-based housing and recovery program, to receive $1,500.

The tournament included a 50/50 draw, raffles, food trucks and a beer garden. All proceeds supported the Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Response Team working in the field.

That support couldn't have come at a better time. The response team had been serving meals in West Kelowna since August 5, initially expecting to feed 75 people.

Then 250 evacuees arrived from Summerland with no warning and no extra supplies ready. The volunteers quickly adapted, serving nearly 600 first responders and evacuees three meals a day.

The Ripple Effect

The team had planned to return home on August 10. When fires broke out in Summerland, they stayed until August 16 instead.

"Chilliwack's Salvation Army serves as a regional hub," said Leanna Kemp, CEO of the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce. "Donations made here don't just support our community. They reach surrounding areas and go directly to wildfire evacuees in the Interior."

The tournament showed how quickly communities can mobilize when disaster strikes close to home. Local businesses turned a friendly competition into meaningful support for neighbors facing one of nature's most frightening emergencies.

Donations continue to be accepted at canadahelps.org for the Chilliwack Salvation Army.