Oceanview Church will host their 5th Eggs Benefit fundraiser on June 23 in Ladysmith.
Eggs Benefit is a biannual event put on by the church to raise funds for community projects. In previous years, causes have been tied to projects spearheaded by the Ladysmith Kinsmen. This year, the Eggs Benefit will be raising funds to develop a multi-use trail around Forrest Field.
“They have a neat vision for [the trail],” Oceanview Church Pastor Darrin Phillips said. “They want the bottom half to be paved, and the top half will be hard-packed gravel, so a mom with a stroller, even with small wheels, it’ll be no problem. They want it wide enough so two wheelchairs could pass. They want it to be super accessible for people.”
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The event was inspired by a former custodian at the church who also worked at Island Gold eggs. The company was looking for a charitable cause to donate to, and the custodian suggested they help Oceanview Church and the Ladysmith Kinsmen to rebuild Brown Drive kid’s park. Island Gold eggs offered 3,000 eggs to support the cause.
“We had a leadership team meeting and discussed it, prayed about it, and did all those things. By the end of the meeting we’d come up with the idea to turn the church into a one-day cafe and serve omelettes,” Phillips said.
Since then, the Eggs Benefit has become a well-known event in the community. 20 “celebrity chefs” from the community will come to cook omelettes. Residents can look forward to a full breakfast with their custom cooked omelette, toast, and coffee/hot chocolate. The event is by donation, and 100 percent of the proceeds go toward funding the Forrest Field trail project.
“It’s headed up by the Rotary, and the other service clubs in town. They’ll promo it and we just basically serve breakfast for free, and people can drop in whatever they want to do for a donation,” Phillips said.
Eggs Benefit is an open community event, and not a religious function.
“There’s no hidden agenda,” Phillips said. “I know people come from all different viewpoints. Some people have had bad experiences with church, and all those kinds of things. We just want to throw it out to as many people in the community as possible,”
The church is looking for volunteers to help put on the Eggs Benefit. Volunteers are needed to help crack eggs, distribute omelette toppings, general cleanup, and more. Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to contact Oceanview Church. For more information visit oceaviewchurch.ca.