It was all business, but for a good cause, at the 14th annual Leah’s Marketplace at the Cochrane Lions Centre on April 27.
From as early as 9 a.m., locals flocked to the market to purchase used goods to help support the Big Hill Haven.
Debbie Leah, the woman behind the event and team lead of the Leah Real Estate Group, said the market went from its humble begging to becoming the biggest and most renowned garage sale in Cochrane.
“It started off in the parking lot behind the Royale LePage Benchmark offices on Main Street, and because the event just got so big and we we’re really vulnerable to the weather and wind, we moved to the Lions Event Centre,” Leah said. “The Cochrane Lions Club has been so gracious to us, by sponsoring the event.”
Donations were collected two days prior to the market. Leah noted that donations for this year’s sale saw some big-ticket items being added to this year’s catalogue.
“We got some very spectacular donations,” Leah said. “There’s no shortage of really high-quality donations that come in to the garage sale every year. This year in particular, we seem to have received a lot of very big-priced items.”
The event coincides with the Royal LePage Canada Garage sale, which takes place across Canada. All proceeds for the event are dedicated to Big Hill Haven, which has always been their charity of choice.
“I’m actually part of the Big Hill Haven board, as well,” she added. “I’ve been on the board for around 10 years now, so it’s a charity that is near and dear to my heart, and it’s very near and dear to Royal LePage Canada as well.”
Leah hopes to see $10,000 raised in this year’s event. In the past, Leah said the market would generally raise between $3,000 and $5,000.
“We have our sponsorship from the Lions Club itself and we got a sponsorship from Royal LePage Benchmark, which is covering all of our costs,” she said.
Executive director for Big Hill Haven, Wanda McGinnis, said she would first and foremost like to give a special thank you to Debbie Leah and her team for helping support the haven.
“It’s absolutely amazing that they put this together, because it’s days and days of work,” McGinnis said. “And to see the community support and people show up here, it’s humbling, and that’s the best way I can describe it.”
Until very recently, Big Hill Haven was an unfunded shelter in Alberta. As of mid-march the provincial government made an announcement that outlined funding support for The Haven.
“It doesn’t quite match what our annual funding is, so the funds raised here are going to help us continue to support families going into shelter,” McGinnis said. “It will help with everything from food, supportive counselling, basic needs, and supporting the shelter spaces themselves.”
Overall, Leah said it is a good feeling to see Cochranites come out and support a cause like Leah’s Marketplace.
“Cochrane never disappoints,” Leah said. “They’re always good at donating and contributing, but this year, it has definitely stepped up quite a bit. It’s a very emotional feeling I’m having this year.”
Leah would like to give a special thanks to all the volunteers, the Cochrane Lions Club, the real estate team, and all participants and vendors that partook in this year’s market.
