Gala raises money for local women’s shelters supported by Cheer Fund
What debuted five years ago as a community fundraiser spearheaded by members of a local rugby club has grown into a posh event presented by one of the major potash producers in the world, headquartered in Regina.
In its first four years, the Bowties & Sweethearts gala — which was started by members of the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club and is now presented by Mosaic — raised over $360,000 for the Leader-Post Christmas Cheer Fund. The fund supports four Regina shelters for women and children fleeing domestic abuse — Regina Transition House, WISH Safe House, the YWCA Regina’s Isabel Johnson Shelter and SOFIA House. (The gala raised $26,000 in 2011, its first year, $95,462 in 2012, $115,000 in 2013 and $126,000 in 2014.)
“We’re really excited about this year’s event,” said Tracy Fahlman, a member of the gala organizing committee. “It’s going to be amazing!”
The Bowties & Sweethearts Gala will be held Feb. 7, bringing together community leaders for an evening of fine wine, gourmet cuisine and top-notch entertainment. As in past years, gowns and tuxedos will fill the elegant ballroom at the historic Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza.
This year’s menu will feature caramelized duck liver foie gras with quince, black truffle dust and sherry glaze; poached abalone with seaweed, cucumbers, ginger, saganaki chili tule, honey and tamarind vinaigrette; silky cauliflower potage with sauteed wild mushrooms, parsley oil; twice-cooked beef cheeks served with mustard scalloped potatoes, glazed baby carrots, asparagus and kalette; strawberry and caramel napoleon beside ‘Saskade’ bar, spiced syrup and tapioca pearls.
Entertainment will include a musical performance by Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) female artist of the year Jess Moskaluke, as well as a performance by the Casey Stone Band.
Regina fashion designer Dean Renwick and Saskatchewan Fashion Week director Chelsea Petterson will identify some of the gala’s best-dressed guests, who will be showcased on the Arts & Life front in the Mon., Feb. 9 edition of the Leader-Post, as well as online at www.leaderpost.com.
Live auction items will include a painting by Saskatchewan visual artist Wilf Perreault, who The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan points out “has been described as one of the most interesting of Canada’s contemporary landscape painters.” Other items to be auctioned off include a signed Garth Brooks acoustic guitar, dinner for eight in the Royal Suite in the Hotel Saskatchewan (along with the room for the evening), a Casey Stone private concert, and jewelry from the Hillberg & Berk Spring/Summer Collection.
Knight Automotive Group will be sponsoring a Rolex raffle, which will feature a $7,800 Rolex Date Just II.
Mosaic has been a major contributor of auction items over the years, including a signed Rolling Stones guitar, auctioned off in 2014. The company also tends to be a top bidder. For example, in 2012, the company bid $10,000 for a Dog River painting by Ladd Fogarty, then matched more than $10,000 in donations received from gala guests. And in 2013, Mosaic donated an additional $25,000 after Tim Young paid $28,000 for a First Nations-themed painting by Fogarty.
As the popularity of the by-invitation-only event has increased, so have ticket prices. For the first year, a ticket was $150; now they’re $350. Selling more tickets isn’t an option, explained gala organizers, because the venue can only accommodate 325 guests.
Gala guests represent a vast array of community leaders, from both urban and rural sectors.
This year’s gala organizing committee members are Denis Jones (Deveraux Developments and Auctus Property Fund), Marnel Jones (The Mosaic Company), Sarah Fedorchuk (The Mosaic Company), Tracy Fahlman (Regina Hotel Association), Rob Vanderhooft (Greystone Managed Investments Inc.), Melynda Loder (Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza), Lisa Peters (Eye Inspire Events), Kevin Tell (Cindercrete Products Ltd.), Tim Young (Young’s Equipment) and Anne Ottman (Regina Hotel Association).
Tim Young and fellow Dog River Howlers Rugby Club member Karl Fix were instrumental in launching the Bowties & Sweethearts gala in 2011, and nurturing the event over the years. Young has been a key player since the event’s debut, both as a committee member and major contributor. He buys eight tables annually, and in 2013 bid $28,000 for a painting.
In an interview in 2013, Young explained that he continues to support local women’s shelters via the gala fundraiser because it’s “a great way to support women that have not had an easy time in their lives. I have four younger sisters. And although none of them have needed to utilize these services, it is important that they are available.”