Imagination Ball
September 20th 2008
Imagination Ball raises over half million dollars for caregiver support!
The Saint Elizabeth Health Care Foundation’s inaugural gala, the Imagination Ball presented by TELUS was as an enormous success, not only in terms of money and ‘friends’ raised, but also in terms of increased profile for the organization. TELUS’ tremendous Title Sponsorship of the gala celebrating Saint Elizabeth Health Care’s 100th Anniversary helped to raise more than $525,000 for the Foundation’s essential Caregiver Support Program
More than 460 people attended the sophisticated, star-studded evening of fine dining and live entertainment at The Carlu on September 20, 2008. In addition, the gala’s After-Party hosted by Enbridge Gas Distribution, through their $50,000 Diamond Sponsorship, attracted an additional 100 guests and featured spectacular performances by Juno-winning singer/songwriter Jully Black and Platinum recording artist Sass Jordan.
While we certainly celebrated a phenomenal evening and enjoyed fantastic news coverage in Hello! Canada, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, the ‘real’ goal of the evening was to make a positive difference in the heath and quality of life of individuals and families in need. With more than a half million dollars being raised, it is safe to say the Imagination Ball did just that!
Former Caregiver Support Program recipient, Doug Galt, delivered a personal and inspiring speech about this essential charitable program’s impact on his family. Mr. Galt stated, “On September 17, 2007, I kissed my daughter Kathleen goodnight for the very last time. Almost fi ve hours later, she died at the young age of 15. Nothing can prepare you for the loss of a child but one thing eased the pain slightly – knowing that she died peacefully in her own home and in her own bedroom surrounded by her family. This was made possible, in part, because of the SEHC Foundation’s Caregiver Support Program which provided my family with the charitable care and services we required to care for Kathleen at home.”
Since 2002, the SEHC Foundation has made a charitable investment of nearly $700,000 in this program which has translated into more than 32,000 hours of charitable relief/respite care being provided to individuals and families, just like the Galts, in need of caregiving assistance. In addition, since 1997, the SEHC Foundation has distributed more than 200,000 free caregiver books nationally to families in need (a value of over $4.6 million).
The funds raised through the Imagination Ball will maintain the Caregiver Support Program in Windsor, London, Huron, Hamilton, Haldimand, Simcoe, Durham, Haliburton/Northumberland/Victoria and Kingston. In addition, two of our most recent expansions, Oakville and Mississauga, were made possible through an additional charitable donation of $50,000 from TELUS. Also, an additional charitable donation of $25,000 from Enbridge Gas Distribution will facilitate the program’s expansion into North York in the coming months.
For more information on the Saint Elizabeth Health Care Foundation’s Caregiver Support Program, please contact us.
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