News

Virtual Conservation Dinner online auction activities, including 50-50 draw, set to raise around $40,000 for community projects

The Conservation Dinner, of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and Exeter Lions Club, was online in 2021 for the first time. The Virtual Conservation Dinner committee said online auction bidding, along with funds raised from the Exeter Lions Club’s 50-50 raffle draw and donations and restaurant dinner proceeds, is set to raise a combined total of approximately $40,000, in net proceeds, for projects in the community.

The Exeter Lions Club’s 50-50 Raffle Draw was also online this year. It had a record prize of $6,300.00 and the winner’s name was drawn on Earth Day, Thursday, April 21 at 7 p.m. The winner was Jeanette Parker (winning ticket number 99396823144).

Dave Frayne is Chair of the Conservation Dinner Committee. He thanked the community for their generous bids and donations, raffle draw ticket purchases, and support of restaurants taking part in the first Dine for Your Community program. He also thanked all the businesses and donors who donated funds or items to the auction. The Conservation Dinner partners had to find new ways to raise funds this year instead of a large in-person event.

“I would like to congratulate everyone who made the first Virtual Conservation Dinner such a success,” the Chair said. “Your generosity will make it possible to continue important projects in your community.”

The online charity auction took place over a full week from April 15 until Earth Day (April 22). The organizers hosted, for the first time, two live cable TV broadcasts, one to launch the week and one to cap it off. The shows included appearances by local political representatives, Conservation Foundation and Lions Club members, trail users, a best-selling author and Conservation Dinner donor, and young people who have benefitted from projects of the Dinner.

The committee thanked FauxPop Media Inc. for preparing the livestream shows and thanked the cable TV providers (Hay Communications; HuronTel; and Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative TCC) for broadcasting the shows.

Videos of those TV shows are posted here:

• TV shows

The Conservation Dinner, over more than 30 years, has raised more than $1.25 million for local community conservation projects such as parks, trails, conservation areas, job opportunities and bursaries for youth, conservation education, commemorative woods, turtle habitat enhancement and monitoring projects, recreation opportunities for the young and young at heart, and more.

To learn more visit abca.ca and conservationdinner.com.

Participating local restaurants support Virtual Conservation Dinner by donating some proceeds to local community projects

Virtual Conservation Dinner and Online Auction Committee invites public to support participating local restaurants and support community conservation projects at same time in April 2021

The Conservation Dinner auction event is online this year (2021) but people can still enjoy fine dining while supporting their community this year.

Some participating local restaurants are donating some proceeds from special entreés during specific dates in April.

The Conservation Dinner has created a new web page at conservationdinner.com to list the restaurants which are offering these special fundraising meals.

Visit conservationdinner.com/restaurants for the participating restaurants so far.

The Dinner Committee is asking you to ‘dine for your community’ in order to ‘support local projects one meal at a time.’

More restaurants are expected to join the campaign in time for the April 15-22 online bidding period for this year’s Dinner, which is online for the first time.

The Conservation Dinner is a partnership of Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community partners. It has raised more than $1.2 million for projects in local communities over 30 years.

This year, because it’s not safe to have a large in-person event, the committee is hosting an online auction and is inviting people to consider purchases of these special dinners, whether take-out or dine-in, at the participating restaurants.

Dave Frayne is Chair of the Virtual Conservation Dinner and Online Auction Committee. He says people can support conservation projects by bidding on the online auction between April 15 and 22. They can also support local conservation through purchase of these special restaurant ‘conservation dinners.’

“I would like to thank the restaurants which have generously offered to take part and I invite other restaurants to take part as well,” the Chair says. “This is a way people can support their local restaurants and also support projects in their community.”

The Committee invites the public to order these special meals and take them home to enjoy their home-version ‘Conservation Dinner’ while bidding on great items at the online auction. Visit conservationdinner.com and abca.ca to find out more about the online auction, the #VirtualConservationDinner entreés and other ways to support your community. The online auction offers a chance to “get some great deals, amazing items and experiences, and support your local community.”

There are several ways people can support #VirtualConservationDinner community conservation projects.

They can:

1) Purchase 50-50 raffle draw tickets at ExeterLions5050.com;

2) Order designated restaurant meals on designated dates at participating local restaurants through the restaurants page;

3) Bid online at the online auction between April 15 and 22;

4) Support restaurants and other local businesses that generously donate to the Dinner each year; and

5) Donate directly to the Dinner.

This fundraiser supports projects in local communities. Projects include parks and conservation areas; accessible nature trails in Bayfield, Clinton, Parkhill, Lucan, Arkona, Exeter, and Varna; outdoor nature education; a $1,000 student environmental bursary for students in local communities; a summer job at Ausable Bayfield Conservation for a senior secondary school student; turtle monitoring in Port Franks and Ailsa Craig; aquatic habitat studies in Old Ausable Channel at Grand Bend; and other projects.

Support for community conservation projects is still needed but committee developing innovative ways to fundraise in place of in-person dinner; Conservation Dinner public event is cancelled for 2021 but online auction, other fundraising activities to replace dinner event during pandemic

The Conservation Dinner Committee is asking for public support of community conservation projects in 2021. The committee has met by video conference to develop innovative new fundraising ideas, including an online auction, to replace – for 2021 – the in-person dinner and auction event. The committee has cancelled an in-person dinner for 2021 and postponed it until 2022. The committee will host an online auction and other fundraising events in 2021, as alternatives, to make it possible to support needed community conservation projects.

Dinner Committee Chair Dave Frayne said it’s disappointing not to have the fellowship of a dinner in person this upcoming year but he said the committee is excited to develop other ways to engage the community and support projects in the community. “The Conservation Dinner has been a wonderful event for 30 years but it is the right thing to do to postpone the 2021 event and replace it with other ways for people to be part of this community enhancement effort,” he said.

When the Conservation Dinner is held in person there are more than 400 people present so that is not appropriate during a pandemic, he said. That’s why the committee is strategizing other ways for community members to join an auction event ‘virtually’ through an online auction with bidding from April 15 to April 22 (Earth Day). The committee also hopes to announce other engaging fundraising activities to take place during the 2021 year including a 50-50 draw, on April 15, in support of community conservation projects of the Exeter Lions Club and Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation. Other planned activities include special take-out ‘conservation dinners,’ at participating local restaurants, in support of needed community conservation projects.

The Conservation Dinner fundraising initiative supports projects in local communities. Projects include parks and conservation areas; accessible nature trails in Bayfield, Clinton, Parkhill, Lucan, Arkona, Exeter, and Varna; outdoor nature education programs; a $1,000 student environmental bursary benefitting students in local communities; a summer job at Ausable Bayfield Conservation for a senior secondary school student; turtle monitoring in Port Franks and Ailsa Craig; aquatic habitat studies in Old Ausable Channel at Grand Bend; and other projects.

Organizers say they hope the Conservation Dinner in-person event will return in 2022 when it is safe to do so.

The Conservation Dinner is a partnership of Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community partners. It has raised more than $1.2 million for projects in local communities over 30 years.

To receive announcements of new fundraising activities, to replace the Dinner in 2021, visit conservationdinner.com and abca.ca.

Charitable auction event postponed for first time in more than 30 years

The Conservation Dinner Committee has announced the 2020 charitable auction is postponed until Thursday, April 15, 2021. The committee made the decision on June 15 at a video conference meeting.

The Chair of the Dinner Committee is Dave Frayne.

“It is a tough decision to postpone this wonderful event but it is the right thing to do,” he said.

“More than 400 people attend the Dinner each year. It is not feasible to practise social physical distancing, at this time, with that many people. We plan to return in 2021 with another great Conservation Dinner and continue our support of needed projects in our local communities.”

The Conservation Dinner Committee will contact those who have already donated money or items in 2020 to the charitable auction. The committee hopes to carry forward 2020 donations of auction items to the rescheduled event in 2021. The Chair thanked all who have donated auction items already. The committee will also contact people who had already purchased their ticket for the Conservation Dinner.

“We look forward to 2021 and hope we can once again share fellowship together, in support of our community, at the Conservation Dinner,” said Chair Dave Frayne. “I thank all the volunteers who worked so hard to prepare for the event planned for this year. I also want to thank everyone who has donated and are donating to this important community fundraiser. We look forward to welcoming you back next year.”

Donations are still needed to support community projects. If you want to donate to the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation or Exeter Lions Club, you can contact them directly.

In the month of June, if you donate to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation at givingchallenge.ca (or go directly to this web page:

• Donate at Canada Helps

You can mention the projects you want to support. You may make a donation to Conservation Dinner 2020 – to support projects of the Exeter Lions Club and the Conservation Foundation.

This is the first time in the event’s three-decade history that it has been postponed to the next year. The Conservation Dinner is a partnership of Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community partners. It has raised more than $1.2 million for projects in local communities over 30 years.

Winning ticket to be drawn on April 16, 2020; You can also purchase your ticket through electronic transfer this year

The Exeter Lions Club held its first 50-50 draw, for community projects supported by the Conservation Dinner, last year (2019). The raffle was such a success the club is bringing the idea back in 2020.

Raffle tickets are available now. There are only 1,000 tickets printed and they are only $10 each. If all tickets are sold, the cash prize could be as high as $5,000.

For the first time, people will also be able can buy 50-50 tickets through e-transfers as well as from Lions Club members. If you would like to buy your ticket this way, contact Lion Paul Anstett at panstett@hay.net. Buying a 50-50 ticket by e-transfer is a way to support community projects while still practicing safe social distancing.

“We are pleased to bring back the 50-50 draw as one more way we can help our local communities,” said Craig Glavin, President of the Exeter Lions Club. “The chance to win a big prize and be able to help your community at the same time makes this truly a win-win.”

The Conservation Dinner Committee has decided to postpone the 2020 Dinner until autumn but this will not affect the 50-50 draw. The Exeter Lions Club will continue to draw a 50-50 winner on April 16, 2020 as previously scheduled.

Conservation Dinner Committee Chair Dave Frayne thanked the Exeter Lions Club for bringing back this additional way to support parks and recreation and conservation projects in the community. “The Lions Club has been Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation’s partner on the Conservation Dinner for 30 years and in addition to their hard work on the Dinner they are also helping support community improvements with the 50-50 raffle draw was well,” he said.

The Conservation Dinner is a community success story that has raised more than $1.2 million in net proceeds in support of parks and recreation, trails, family-friendly fishing derby, nature education, and other projects in local communities in an area from Exeter to Port Franks to Bayfield and all points in between.

For updates on the Conservation Dinner, such as a new date this fall, visit abca.ca and conservationdinner.com.

Thanks for your interest in the work that is taking place in local communities thanks to the Conservation Dinner, a partnership of donors, patrons and guests, volunteers and artists, the Exeter Lions Club, and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation (ABCF).

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