POINT PRIM, P.E.I. — Gar Gillis has always had a special place in his heart for sick children.
On Monday, the retired school bus driver gave close to $10,000 to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, all of it from donations people have made this year at the bottle village he has spent almost 20 years building in his backyard on the Point Prim Road.
Gillis refuses to charge admission to the impressive-looking display, choosing instead to leave a box where people who stop by can simply deposit a donation. Since the bottle village opened in 2000, Gillis has raised just under $50,000 for the IWK.
“It’s all going to a good cause,’’ Gillis said in an interview from his home where he handed the money over to a representative from the hospital. “We (all) know kids who have gone to the IWK. The IWK gives kids a second chance at life (so) every cent (goes) to them, every cent. I don’t even take my expenses out. That comes out of my pocket. Everything here is by donation.’’
Back in 2000, Gillis and his wife, Bonnie, took a trip up to Mill River. While they were staying there, Gar and Bonnie went for a drive and came upon a bottle village in Mont-Carmel and the seed was planted.
He started collecting wine and beer bottles, the majority of which came from neighbours and the nearby Chowder House restaurant. Gillis got to work on the village, building a sports centre, school, a church, a general store, a light house, a replica of the Anne of Green Gables house and a tea room. All of the bottles were cemented together.
“It’s all going to a good cause. We (all) know kids who have gone to the IWK. The IWK gives kids a second chance at life (so) every cent (goes) to them, every cent. I don’t even take my expenses out. That comes out of my pocket. Everything here is by donation.’’
- Gar Gillis
He named the church after his grandson, Noah, and the general store after his youngest granddaughter, Sydney.
Then, the public started to take notice when they drove by.
“People would start stopping in, and they said I should open this as a business.’’
But, instead of going down that road and calling up the government, he picked up the phone and called the IWK to make sure the money went to them.
Gillis said he often finds $50 bills in the donation box and locals have left cheques for $100 at a time.
Local resident Charlene Guibeau got involved, helping Gillis set up IWK tables at the annual 70-mile coastal yard sale while another local resident, Neil MacKinnon, brings down cucumbers for them to sell as part of the fundraiser. Guibeau even decided to ramp things up a few years ago to bring in more money.
“I knew we needed a gimmick so I said ‘let’s shave my head’,’’ Guibeau laughed, adding that Gillis filled in as her barber that day. “The (media) came out and we got $4,000 that year.’’
Adam Ramsay, the relationship manager for the IWK on P.E.I., said it’s hard to find the words to thank Gillis.
“For us, this is an incredible fundraiser and it always has been,’’ Ramsay said. “The impact it makes at the health centre is incredible.
“For the IWK Foundation, our belief is that Maritime women, children, youth and families deserve the best – and nothing less. These types of fundraisers help it. We just cannot say thank you enough. It’s phenomenal.’’
