Christmas Gala Fundraiser a glowing success

The Spirit Sands Medical Clinic Christmas Gala Fundraiser, held November 23, at the Glenboro Community Hall was by all accounts a glowing success!

Val Outhwaite, owner/operator of Petals and Presents in Glenboro, was tasked with decorating this huge space and this talented decorator did not disappoint!

Val was so pleased to be able to be involved in the event, adding “none of us are getting younger. Even if we are healthy right now, there will come a time that we will need quality healthcare. If we don’t work together to keep healthcare in Glenboro we will be forced to travel elsewhere. So many of our surrounding community members also depend on the current Glenboro Clinic. To not be able to maintain our facilities would be a huge blow to not only Glenboro, but to so many other areas. This event was pulled together in about a month. Look at all of this, it proves that with everyone working together great things happen!”

Numerous strings of lights draped across the width of the expansive ceiling. The large round tables were each covered in white linens, accented by sparkling silverware nested on gold serviettes. Tower candles added shimmering candlelight over the tables, highlighting the delicate handmade evergreen centrepieces created by Val.

Several large Christmas trees strung with clear white lights dotted the walls stretching the length of both sides of the Hall adding additional dazzle and light.

A most perfect addition.

The opulence of the very tastefully decorated Hall, set the stage for what was to come.

The divine aromatic symphony emanating from the kitchen was a mere prelude of the meal to come.

The Maestro Chef Zack Zaharia, owner/operator of Farmer’s Table was at the helm, creating the magic, a menu was specially selected for the evening: Caesar salad, Waldorf salad, Roasted baby potatoes, maple glazed carrots, mustard maple green beans, roast beef with a delicate red wine sauce.

If your mouth is watering reading the menu, you should have been there to smell it being prepared!

Zack shared, “it is great to be able to come out and support these types of events. Health care everywhere is in need of our help. This is just amazing to see, and I am pleased to be a part of it.”

The entertainment for the night, Winnipeg Comedian Dean Jenkinson was ready and waiting to entertain the sold out crowd. Beaming Dean was absolutely thrilled to be in Glenboro, “sharing fellowship, supporting a cause that is near and dear to everyone and making people laugh, it really doesn’t get any better.”

There is no doubt you will have heard/seen Dean’s comedic injections before, as he is a very accomplished entertainer, an award winning comedian and comedy writer.

His biography states: “He’s appeared on Comedy Now, The Winnipeg Comedy Festival, The Royal Canadian Air Farce, Laugh Out Loud, and more than 20 times on CBC Radio’s smash hit, The Debaters.

He’s been a contributing writer for This Hour Has 22 Minutes since 2007, and has written for several Just For Laughs specials, creating material for such acts as The Muppets, Joan Rivers, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, and cast members from The Big Bang Theory.”

The sheer number of prizes donated to this event was staggering!
Brenda, everyone’s favourite bartender, was busy getting everything set up and ready for the night and was more than happy to see an event like this happening. “Sometimes it is just nice to get dressed up and go out for an evening and what a perfect opportunity to support our new Spirit Sands Medical Clinic!”

What no one knew was there was a huge surprise in store for the entire crowd attending the event!

If you were in attendance you already know who the surprise was, but if you weren’t there, can you guess?

Hint: there is a story about this person in this edition!

The organizers and volunteers worked so hard to make this an evening to remember and they did all that and more.

The Committee requested that we give them a few days to recoup and recover before talking with them about the details of the evening, so we will be sharing details with our readers next week.

Thank you to everyone who made this evening the roaring success it was!

PHOTO CAPTION:  The entertainment for the night, Winnipeg Comedian Dean Jenkinson.  PHOTO BY SUZANNE PADDOCK