A very unique kind of garage sale will be hosted by a prominent Cochrane family this weekend, with all proceeds going to support local charities.
The Kimmett family is hoping the upcoming garage sale will be a chance for friends and neighbours to drop by, say hello and if so inclined, make a small donation. The family is holding the charity garage sale at 22 West Mitford Cr. on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Family matriarch Lorraine Kimmett died in June at the age of 94. ‘Grandma Lorraine’ was a major supporter of The Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation (LLKMF) and her final donation will be the proceeds from a sale of her possessions.
All proceeds will go to the 15th Annual Monumental Tournament of Aces golf tournament, and support five local Cochrane charities – Big Hill Haven, Frank Wills Hall Memorial Society, Helping Hands Society, Cultivate Cochrane Society, and the Cochrane Indigenous Centre. Cochrane Search and Rescue will receive some of the funds raised as well. The Tournament of Aces is run by The Rotary Club of Cochrane. Cochrane Search and Rescue and LLKMF also contribute support and volunteers.
Lorraine’s son Kelly Kimmett related a bittersweet moment he had with his mother a few days before she passed that has a connection to the idea of a garage sale. He, his wife, and Lorraine’s youngest great-grandson had lunch with her in her home and told her they would come back at 6 p.m. to check on her. When they returned and entered the house, they were taken aback by the sight of Lorraine laying on the floor of the kitchen. They were relieved when they heard her speak.
“She was looking up, kind of looking around, and she said, ‘I have a lot of nice stuff,’” Kelly said.
Kimmett said Lorraine was adamant about living in her home rather than a seniors’ facility, so they were glad for her that she only had to spend six days in hospital before her passing.
Lindsay's legacy
The Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation was formed in honour of Kimmett’s daughter Lindsay, who died in a car accident in 2008.
The Kimmett Cup is awarded to the winner of an annual pond hockey tournament, which is held just out back from the house in West Valley in February. Lorraine used to enjoy being a spectator at the event in the middle of winter.
“When she was younger – in her 80s – she used to walk down from her house to see the goings-on,” Kimmett said. “You can actually see the pond from her house.”
Kimmett said that when they lost their daughter Lindsay, the family received tremendous support from the community. They have tried to return that support in the form of the charity hockey tournament and other ways each year since.
“It’s really been a two-way street between the community and the Kimmett family,” he said.
He added that members of the extended family from Canmore and Springbank will be at the garage sale on Saturday, making it a sort of mini-reunion.
Kimmett said he woke up thinking about his mother one recent morning and decided the garage sale would be a perfect vehicle for one last donation, since Lorraine was always a big supporter of the foundation.
“So I thought, why doesn’t grandma make one more donation to Lindsay’s foundation?" he said. "So we kind of hope people come out and pick something up, or if they want, they can make a donation.”
The foundation’s other major event is the upcoming 2022 Monumental Tournament of Aces golf tournament, which will be held Oct. 1 from noon to 10 p.m. at the Links of GlenEagles golf course. For information on entering, volunteering, or donating, people can visit rotarycochrane.ca for more details.
Lindsay was killed as a seat-belted passenger in a speeding, single car rollover on a clear dry road Sunday morning February 17, 2008, just 700 metres from her parent’s home. The foundation was conceived in Lindsay’s memory by her parents the following day, as they wrote her obituary on an emergency flight from a family holiday with her two brothers and grandma. Lindsay had been unable to join the vacation due to medical school commitments.
Since her death, the family has been very active in supporting distracted driving legislation in Alberta – as part of her legacy, Lindsay’s family asks all motorists to drive responsibly without distractions.
Since 2008, the foundation has raised over $3 million for projects and organizations around the world.
Information on the Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation is available at lindsaykimmett.net or kimmettcup.com.
