Saturday night’s fundraiser for the Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation was by all accounts, especially on the financial front, a pretty resounding success.
With a celebrity dinner as the key event, featuring former Rupertite and now CBC newscaster Gloria Macarenko as the main attraction, the foundation raised close to 70,000 dollars over the course of the night. An amount that left organizers in shock over the generosity of those Rupertites that attended.
From dessert auctions that fetched thousands of dollars, to auctions for a number of trips, items and services donated by local merchants and residents, the night was a major success for organizers and for the foundation.
Ms. Macarenko as the main speaker, gave a heartfelt reminiscence of her hometown and how it still resonates in her life today, adding to the nature of community that the night was designed to highlight.
Mayor Herb Pond who has been known to have a few things to say from time to time provided the MC duties on the night, urging the crowd at the Chances banquet hall to dig deep and then dig again. Showcasing some of the skill in that department, that he has developed well during his time over on Third Avenue West.
The Daily News featured details of the night of giving, as the front page story in Monday’s paper. An article complete with quite a few pictures of the night's events, though in a puzzling bit of newsgathering, there isn’t a single picture of the guest of honour Ms. Macarenko, to be found in the Monday paper.
With a celebrity dinner as the key event, featuring former Rupertite and now CBC newscaster Gloria Macarenko as the main attraction, the foundation raised close to 70,000 dollars over the course of the night. An amount that left organizers in shock over the generosity of those Rupertites that attended.
From dessert auctions that fetched thousands of dollars, to auctions for a number of trips, items and services donated by local merchants and residents, the night was a major success for organizers and for the foundation.
Ms. Macarenko as the main speaker, gave a heartfelt reminiscence of her hometown and how it still resonates in her life today, adding to the nature of community that the night was designed to highlight.
Mayor Herb Pond who has been known to have a few things to say from time to time provided the MC duties on the night, urging the crowd at the Chances banquet hall to dig deep and then dig again. Showcasing some of the skill in that department, that he has developed well during his time over on Third Avenue West.
The Daily News featured details of the night of giving, as the front page story in Monday’s paper. An article complete with quite a few pictures of the night's events, though in a puzzling bit of newsgathering, there isn’t a single picture of the guest of honour Ms. Macarenko, to be found in the Monday paper.
However there is the promise of more on her visit home planned for Tuesday’s edition, so perhaps they’re saving the Ms. Macarenko snapshots for then.
RUPERT DIGS DEEP TO DONATE THOUSANDS AT BIG FUNDRAISER
Gloria Macarenko helps make event a massive success
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, March 10, 2008
Pages 1 and 3
A fundraiser on the weekend proved that Prince Rupert has residents with both the enough culinary talent and depth of pocket to ensure deserts changed hands for as much as $1,000.
The deliciously expensive desserts were just one of many surprises at the first annual Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation Celebrity Dinner on Saturday night. The event held in Chances’ banquet room kept hundreds of guests entertained for hours, as items including dinner cruises, ferry and airline tickets, and even a couple of nurses were auctioned off to the highest bidder in aid of charity.
“The purpose of this evening is extract as much money as possible from you,” joked Mayor Herb Pond, who filled the role of MC and auctioneer for the evening. “And like all good capitalist societies, we’ll take all forms of payment, excluding your first-born male.”
Those introductory comments would set the stage for the first round of bidding, a silent auction of dessert items that raised a staggering total of $6,735, with some items going for more than $1,000. The second auction was also a success, with items including autographed tiles from local artist Syd Dickens and a carved gold Native bracelet raising and additional $12,500 for the Community Foundation.
The guest of honour, Gloria Macarenko, made a moving speech that touched on how much Prince Rupert has grown in reputation and spirit since her days of waiting tables and selling jeans in the mall.
“My connection to the North Coast is very strong, and my roots in the community are very deep, something I’ve always been proud to tell people over the years,” she said. “My upbringing in Prince Rupert is paramount to the person I’ve become today,”
As if enough money hadn’t been thrown around, several businesses made a special presentation to the Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation, in which five enterprises each presented donations of $5,000. the funds from Ridley Terminals, Maher Terminals, the Prince Rupert Port Authority, Prince Rupert Grain and Glen Saunders totaled $25,000 and that was then matched by a $25,000 grant from the Northern Development Initiative, which was presented by NDI representative and Mayor of Houston Sharon Smith.
“Recognizing this foundation and what a giving community this is, the port is really privileged that we’re a part of it,” said Don Krusel, Prince Rupert Port Authority President and CEO.
“Thanks to Robert (Stromdahl) and the other people who made this foundation what it is today.”
With the total amount of money raised over the course of the evening at $69,355, PRCCF Chair Robert Stromdahl was overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpour of support that the foundation had received. After announcing that this would be the first of many annual foundation dinners, Stromdahl also committed $10,000 over the next five years to the continual improvement of Prince Rupert Regional Hospital’s maternity ward.
“There were hundreds of hours put into this by the members of our board who we couldn’t have done without,” he said. “Our goal was to raise between $15,000 and $20,000, and we mad about that with just the desserts and other auction items. I can’t tell you how proud I am of Prince Rupert. We’re the beginning of the line now, and there’s no stopping us.”
RUPERT DIGS DEEP TO DONATE THOUSANDS AT BIG FUNDRAISER
Gloria Macarenko helps make event a massive success
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, March 10, 2008
Pages 1 and 3
A fundraiser on the weekend proved that Prince Rupert has residents with both the enough culinary talent and depth of pocket to ensure deserts changed hands for as much as $1,000.
The deliciously expensive desserts were just one of many surprises at the first annual Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation Celebrity Dinner on Saturday night. The event held in Chances’ banquet room kept hundreds of guests entertained for hours, as items including dinner cruises, ferry and airline tickets, and even a couple of nurses were auctioned off to the highest bidder in aid of charity.
“The purpose of this evening is extract as much money as possible from you,” joked Mayor Herb Pond, who filled the role of MC and auctioneer for the evening. “And like all good capitalist societies, we’ll take all forms of payment, excluding your first-born male.”
Those introductory comments would set the stage for the first round of bidding, a silent auction of dessert items that raised a staggering total of $6,735, with some items going for more than $1,000. The second auction was also a success, with items including autographed tiles from local artist Syd Dickens and a carved gold Native bracelet raising and additional $12,500 for the Community Foundation.
The guest of honour, Gloria Macarenko, made a moving speech that touched on how much Prince Rupert has grown in reputation and spirit since her days of waiting tables and selling jeans in the mall.
“My connection to the North Coast is very strong, and my roots in the community are very deep, something I’ve always been proud to tell people over the years,” she said. “My upbringing in Prince Rupert is paramount to the person I’ve become today,”
As if enough money hadn’t been thrown around, several businesses made a special presentation to the Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation, in which five enterprises each presented donations of $5,000. the funds from Ridley Terminals, Maher Terminals, the Prince Rupert Port Authority, Prince Rupert Grain and Glen Saunders totaled $25,000 and that was then matched by a $25,000 grant from the Northern Development Initiative, which was presented by NDI representative and Mayor of Houston Sharon Smith.
“Recognizing this foundation and what a giving community this is, the port is really privileged that we’re a part of it,” said Don Krusel, Prince Rupert Port Authority President and CEO.
“Thanks to Robert (Stromdahl) and the other people who made this foundation what it is today.”
With the total amount of money raised over the course of the evening at $69,355, PRCCF Chair Robert Stromdahl was overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpour of support that the foundation had received. After announcing that this would be the first of many annual foundation dinners, Stromdahl also committed $10,000 over the next five years to the continual improvement of Prince Rupert Regional Hospital’s maternity ward.
“There were hundreds of hours put into this by the members of our board who we couldn’t have done without,” he said. “Our goal was to raise between $15,000 and $20,000, and we mad about that with just the desserts and other auction items. I can’t tell you how proud I am of Prince Rupert. We’re the beginning of the line now, and there’s no stopping us.”
.
See tomorrow’s Daily News for more on Gloria Macarenko’s visit home.
See tomorrow’s Daily News for more on Gloria Macarenko’s visit home.
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