Penticton home builder Darrell Richards has a stunner of an idea, and he's looking for the public's help to achieve it.
Four days ago, Richards approached Jerome Abraham, the executive director of Penticton-based men's recovery centre Discovery House, and hit him with an offer he couldn't refuse.
Richards explained he had a chance of being selected for the hit American TV show Orange County Choppers. If he made the grade, he'd help design and build a fantastical motorcycle, then get to keep it.
Except, he told Abraham, he wouldn't keep it. Instead, he'd sign it over to Discovery House. And they, in turn, could raffle it off and use the proceeds as they see fit.
Abraham, understandably taken aback by the big-hearted offer, said "Yes" and immediately began weighing options for the potential windfall. Ultimately, it was decided it would go to the purchase of a much-needed third facility.
Sounds great, right? Except there's one little hitch. Richards still needs to be selected for the show.
And that's where the general public comes in.
The process, it seems, is purely democratic. The candidate with the most online "votes" gets on the show. It's as simple as that.
So Richards and Abraham are hoping to drum up votes. It's free of charge or obligation, and new votes can be registered every 24 hours.
Fortunately, Richards, who already owns a couple of show-stopping bikes, is off to a good start.
"I'm in first place in my group today," he said with a smile Friday morning. "But it's going to be tough. It’s unclear how many groups or entrants there are. But soon they'll cut our group to the top ten, then the top five, then you have to win your group to get into the competition."
Beyond appearing on TV, Richards said he's "pumped" over the spin-off benefits.
"I'm a fabricator by trade, and I'm really excited to get there and use some of their tooling. Then bringing the bike back here and to see the smiles on peoples' faces and know what we can do with the bike to raise money is huge."
That he's already advanced as far as he has still comes as a surprise.
"The contest showed up on my social media feed one day," said Richards. "I entered it, and a few days later they were emailing me to say I was in fourth place.
"But once I realized I actually had a chance, I started thinking maybe there was something better I could do with the bike. So I talked to some friends, some of whom have gone through Discovery House, and they said it would be a great place to donate it."
Discovery House's Abraham, who's already getting serious interest in the prospective future raffle, points to previous raffles of OC Chopper-built bikes and believes $100,000 isn't out of the question.
And it couldn't come at a better time, as Discovery House is looking to purchase a new home to expand their supported living recovery services.
Abraham's team is looking for a three or four bedroom home, preferably in close proximity to Discovery House, that would be earmarked for clients who've moved past initial treatment and are working or going to school while paying rent.
"These are people who want to help themselves," said Richards. "They want to be strong, confident men again. Once COVID is under control, addiction will still be there. And I think this is a great way for the community to get involved."
Richards will post a new video on his Facebook page every morning 'til the end of the contest. He figures people can watch it before they vote and prospectively help a bunch of guys get the facility they need.
