Results

Thank you to everyone who participated in The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon in summer 2021 to support BCAITC! Congratulations to the 9 winners who won amazing prizes, courtesy of BC Landscape and Nursery Association and Windset Farms.   

Participant Prizes:

1. Tallest Plant - $50 – Caleb G. (pictured), Salmon Arm
2. Shortest Plant - $50 – Addi B., Abbotsford
3. Elementary School Student Random Draw Award (Grades K-7) - $50 – Julia W., Salmon Arm
4. Intermediate/Secondary School Student Random Draw Award (Grades 8-12) - $50 – Sarah M., Victoria
5. Most Pledges Collected - $100 – Julia W., Salmon Arm
6. Random Draw for All Participants - $50 Gift Baskets (2) - David C., Kamloops  Judy C., Maple Ridge

Pledger Prizes:

1. Random Draw for All Pledgers - $50 – Rachel W., Salmon Arm 
2. Person with Highest Pledge - $100 – Donna J., Saanichton

Congratulations to all participants! Stay tuned for details of our 2022 Grow-A-Thon coming soon!

Details

Help BCAITC fundraise in summer 2021! Gardening enthusiasts of all ages – join The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon now! By participating in this BCAITC virtual fundraising event, you can have fun growing a basil plant in your own home garden! Plus, you can:

• Support BCAITC by collecting pledges from friends and family.
• Learn about gardening and food production as you track your plant’s growth.
• Use and enjoy the tasty herb in a variety of recipes.

Prizes

The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon participants and pledgers have a chance to win prizes totalling $550)!

Participant Prizes:  

1. Tallest Plant - $50
2. Shortest Plant - $50
3. Grade K-7 Student Random Draw - $50
4. Grade 8-12 Student Random Draw - $50
5. Most Pledges Collected - $100
6. Random Draw for All Participants (2 prizes) - food and gift basket valued at $50 each

Pledger Prizes:

1. Random Draw for All Pledgers - $50
2. Person with Highest Pledge - $100

We Need Your Support

Everyone is invited to help support The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon participants with pledges (or make a general donation to the program online at www.bcaitc.ca)! All funds raised will go to BCAITC to help bring more agriculture and food education programs and resources to BC’s K-12 students this upcoming school year.

How to Participate

July 6 to 27, 2021: Register (Registration Now Closed)

The Grow-A-Thon is open to all BC residents. Cost to register is $25.   

July 20 to August 8, 2021: Receive and Review Participant Kit

All registrants will receive an instructional kit by August 8 with instructions as well as recipes and gardening resources.

July 6 to August 31, 2021: Collect Pledges

Connect with your friends, family, and other contacts and start collecting pledges. You can use our email pledge request ideas. Just like finding supporters for a walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, or bowl-a-thon – find people to pledge your basil plant's growing journey. Any and all pledges are appreciated!

There are 2 ways you can collect pledges:

1. Ask your pledgers to directly pledge you online on our donation page. Be sure to request that your pledgers put a note in the “notes section” of the payment portal indicating “[My Name] - Basil".
2. Use our pledge sheet and collect cheque pledges. Then submit the completed form to amy@aitc.ca and then make one lump sum payment online on our donation page OR mail a cheque(s) from all your pledges (payable to BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation) to BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, 202-2313 West Railway Street, Abbotsford, BC V2S 2E3.

*All pledges must be received by August 31, 2021 to be counted for the contest. Individuals making pledges of $20 or more will receive a tax receipt from BCAITC.

August 9, 2021: Plant the Seeds

Monday, August 9 is the official planting day! All participants should plant their provided basil seeds on this day. Follow the suggested plant care guidelines for tips on how to make your basil plant grow full and lush! Can’t plant your seeds on August 9? That’s okay, you can plant shortly thereafter.

August 9 to 30, 2021 - Sow It - Grow It - Show It

Over the next 3 weeks, watch and care for the plant as you grow it from sprout to seedling – and finally to a full, beautiful basil plant . Don’t forget to show your plant some love and give it a name. Plus, you can show off your plant growth progress on social media with the hashtag #TheGreatBasilGrowAThon. Be sure to tag BCAITC (Twitter and Instagram @bcaitc and Facebook @bcagintheclassroom).

August 30 to 31: Submit Photos and Find Out if You are a Winner

By August 31, submit 1 photo (JPG format) of your fully-grown plant to amy@aitc.ca along with the height of your plant (in centimetres) to be eligible for prizes. A panel of judges will review all photos and award prizes. Winners will be announced on this page and on BCAITC’s social media channels by September 7.

Sponsors

Special thanks to The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon Presenting Sponsors: BC Landscape and Nursery Association and Windset Farms.  Also, thank you to West Coast Seeds for supplying the seeds.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who participates in The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon - either by growing a plant or making a pledge. Your support will help BCAITC bring agriculture and food education to over 500,000 K-12 students in BC.

Spread The Word

Help us spread the message about The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon and inspire more people to get involved. Download this poster and share with your community!

For more information on The Great Basil Grow-A-Thon, contact amy@aitc.ca.