“Have I gone mad? I’m afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usually are.”
This is a quote from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and it is quite fitting for this year’s Cameryn’s Cause Gala, which took place April 23 at the Sportsplex. This year’s theme was “Mad Hatter’s Ball,” and a sold-out crowd of people showed how “mad” they are for supporting their community as they helped raise thousands of dollars for Cameryn’s Cause for Kids Society.
The gala featured live and silent auctions, a gourmet meal by Quay West Kitchens and Catering and live music by The P Nut Gallery.
The Sportsplex was beautifully decorated with lights, teacups and saucers, mushrooms and flowers, and items from the rabbit hole hanging from the ceiling. Guests entered the gala by walking on a red carpet guarded by The Playing Cards.
Tickets for this year’s gala sold out within an hour and a half of going on sale. Three hundred and 75 guests, as well as many volunteers, enjoyed the evening and helped Cameryn’s Cause.
Shayleen Harris, along with her husband, Mason is one of the founding members of the Cameryn’s Cause for Kids Society, which was started in memory or their daughter, Cameryn, to serve as an ongoing legacy to families in their community.
In the last nine years, Cameryn’s Cause has helped more than 150 Campbell River families — some more than once — by helping cover the costs of food, gas, helping ensure a sick child’s family can be with him or her, and helping with costs associated with a child’s death, Harris told the crowd.
“Thank you all for attending and supporting this event,” she said. “You leave here tonight knowing you have made a big difference in Campbell River children’s lives.”
Harris thanked emcee Michael Boulet, auctioneer Jason Fitzgerald, photographers Ricci and Brian Miller of Little Prints Photography — a Cameryn’s Cause family and offered to do the photography to give back — the band P Nut Gallery (Hugh and Kim Schmid), Quay West Kitchen and Catering for the food and Premier Homes for sponsoring the decor, as well as all the individuals and businesses that offered donations for the live and silent auctions.
Harris also thanked all the Cameryn’s Cause board members “who do the nitty gritty to make this all work” and the gala committee.
“This has been eight years of galas, and each one has been better than the last,” she said, noting that last year’s gala raised $48,000.
This year’s event raised approximately $42,000.The live auction raised thousands of dollars and during the gala, a group of children from Northwest Shito Kai Karate presented a cheque for $1,700 to Harris.