Dresden’s Czech Hall is one step closer to affording new bathroom renovations after community support helps fundraise $3,243 through an online auction. The auction ran four days from Friday (May 23rd) to Tuesday (May 26th) on Facebook through a an auction site to help raise money for those in need called Help from the Heart.
Auction organizer from Help for Hearts, Lou Anne Fox said that every cause relies on community support. “We plea to the community to help us out with donations from businesses and whoever can help out”. Fox said the auction ran smooth as a variety of items were donated, dropped off and pictures uploaded on the Help from the Heart Facebook page.
Fox said there was a good response in donations from local businesses and the community, “It was a really good auction,” she said. “I believe there was 184 items in this one. So the community really stuck together, all the businesses and a lot of people that care about their community”.
Fox added that she hopes support will continue to flourish through her Help from the Heart auction site. “We still need donations for other people in need,” she said. “We have our second annual Help from the Heart fundraiser on August 23rd at my home”. The fundraiser will feature a pig roast, raffle prizes, door prizes. All are welcome to join together at 9069 Claymore Line.
President of the Czech Hall, Al Kominek said improving the washrooms has been a priority to keep the hall up to date for the community. “We’ve always wanted to have the washrooms done,” he said. “Especially the women’s washroom. We’re a community hall, we don’t really make a lot of money but we want to supply the town and the municipality with reasonable hall accommodations”.
Kominek said the auction was “a total surprise.” Dresden resident Heather Bedell assisted him in setting up contacts to organize the auction. “She took care of everything and she had talked about Lou Anne and mentioned she could do it. I was so surprised”.
Kominek also got in touch with various local businesses to help assist in the auction. “There’s a few different farming places I deal with,” he said. “You want to do something special and that’s what we did. From my farming organization I donated a couple prizes as well”.
Kominek said getting wheelchair access in the washrooms has been something he’s always wanted for the hall but stated “it’s insanely expensive”. To save on costs he said “We could get a crew of 8-10 people on a couple weekends when the hall is not being rented and just go nuts. That way we can donate our time because a lot of guys know how to do renovations”.
The final cost will be approximately between $8-9,000 with the goal of eventually getting a wheelchair access washroom.
“My grandparents helped build this place almost 70 years ago and being a Czech descendant I just want to keep the place going as an honor to them”. He said, “The hall has always been a place of a lot of life and laughter and great food”.
Kominek also said the hall has “one of the best dance floors in all of Chatham-Kent. It’s a really great dance floor. The old Czech people really knew what they wanted to do. This place was built extremely well”.
Committee members will be discussing future fundraisers including a another possible concert with “The McCartney Years” in Chatham after one was held on May 24th.
Built in 1947, the Czech Hall in Dresden is known to host a variety of events including line-dancing classes, stag and does, bridal showers, baby showers and weddings.
