A grinch has put a crimp into a Vernon organization’s Christmas fundraiser.
Somebody broke into the offices of Venture Training Saturday night and stole items earmarked for the organization’s only fundraiser of the year, the Festival of Trees, on Dec. 1.
“The alarm went off just after 11 p.m.,” said Ryan Cucheron, director of operations at Venture Training, located above the intersection of Alexis Park Drive and 43rd Avenue.
The thief entered a boardroom by prying open an outside window, climbed in and looked through some unlocked cabinets.
A locked storage area was pried open and a pair of watches and headphones earmarked for the silent auction were stolen.
A small TV in the boardroom was found outside in the parking lot.
The gates to the centre were locked, meaning the suspect had to have walked up the hill to the centre.
Cucheron called the theft “disappointing and sad.”
“This is our big fundraiser for the year,” he said. “This is how we get money to run our programs for helping individuals with developmental disabilities.”
Anybody with any information on the theft is asked to call the Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171, or Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 1-800-222-8477.
Anybody who would like to donate to Venture Training to replace the stolen items can call Cucheron at 250-542-2374.