Denis Bezeau (centre, sitting) has donated tens of thousands of dollars over recent years, primarily to youth sports and groups which help kids play. He's pictured here with the NDSS women's lacrosse team. (submitted photo/Teresa Martin)

By Alex Rawnsley

GIFT OF GIVING

‘If it has to come out of my pocket for them to keep playing, it will:’ Nanaimo store owner donates $30k to local youth sports

Apr 10, 2022 | 12:19 PM

NANAIMO — Denis Bezeau is a fixture in the Harewood neighbourhood and is devoted to creating a better future one deke or down at a time.

The owner of Deni’s Dynamite Deals presented a donation of $30,000 on Sunday, April 10, to a variety of local school groups, youth sports organizations and BGC Central Vancouver Island.

Bezeau told NanaimoNewsNOW the money comes from the sale of donated goods at the store and continues his passion of keeping kids in prganized sport.

“Sometimes there’s been some things in their lives that don’t go as well and they need help, that’s where I come in. I played sports my whole life and we must keep kids playing and if it has to come out of my pocket for them to keep playing, it will.”

Bezeau hosted a street sale under less than ideal weather conditions on Sunday.

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Overnight snow and continued cool temperatures did little to dampen the atmosphere of the event, which began setting up in the early morning hours.

Bezeau (right) makes an effort to offer every item in his story for what someone can pay, not what’s on one of the few price tags he has. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Bezeau said he arrived at his store around 6:30 a.m. and was greeted by dozens of local football players to help move items around, all of which had been donated to the store and put aside for the sales event.

It’s an example of the spirit of neighbourhood and community Bezeau wants to foster.

“Somebody has to show a neighbourhood what they should be and how they should be and we need to learn how to share rather than take,” Bezeau said. “I’m not doing this for money, I’m doing this for the neighbourhood and hopefully the next generation will learn from it and become better for it.”

Sunday’s donations are not Bezeau’s first, with a long track record of community giving.

Previous recipients of his generosity include the Nanaimo Child Development Centre, Crossroads Pregnancy Centre, the VIU hockey team and other grassroots sports groups.

The generosity however is not just limited to donations to local organizations.

Bezeau said he takes pride in creating a business which works with people to get what they need or want.

He’s spent the last three and a half years researching prices and knows what his inventory is worth, but money doesn’t stand in the way of a sale.

“We’re actually building a really good community here, this is important. We need to know that we can come into a place where if you can’t afford it, you can have it. I do not like price tags, I’d prefer to talk to you and make sure it’s affordable to you.”

Bezeau added the donations are the lifeblood of his store and without them the operation he’s created would succeed.

“It’s getting better and we’re getting stronger as a neighbourhood and hopefully it can continue and people can bring their stuff here, knowing it’s going to go back to the community.”

In addition to supporting sports groups through donations, Bezeau also personally sponsors 65 local kids, paying for their sports and equipment to enable them to continue playing.

Dozens of items are staged outside Deni’s Dynamite Deals on Seventh St., part of a major sales and donation day for the Harewood store. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

— with files from Kyle Ireland

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