COVID-19 sinks dragon boat fundraiser
Hope Floats out thousands of dollars after Niagara Falls theatre closes its doors
The permanent closure of a Niagara Falls dinner theatre has pulled the plug on a major fundraiser to help breast cancer survivors attend an international dragon boat festival.
South Niagara Canoe Club’s Hope Floats dragon boat team paid more than $7,000 to book a fundraising dinner and show at Oh Canada, Eh! that was scheduled for April.
Money raised was to be used to help team members attend the International Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Festival in New Zealand in 2022.
About a week before their sold out fundraiser was to take place, the theatre cancelled the gig due to the global pandemic and offered a new date in late December. Members subsequently came across a Facebook post announcing the dinner theatre had permanently closed and had filed for bankruptcy.
“Their phone and email were all disconnected and we were unable to contact them,” said Brenda Arndt, a captain with the Hope Floats dragon boat team.
The team’s event had sold out, at $65 a ticket, and the club has reimbursed all 150 guests. All told, the crew is out more than $9,700, “which has depleted our savings account,” Arndt said.
The dragon boat team held a previous fundraising event at the Lundy’s Lane dinner theatre which made it possible for members to attend the 2018 international breast cancer dragon boat festival in Italy.
“We were very pleased with that event,” Arndt said. “We were looking forward to going back.”
The team had expected this year’s event would also be profitable as it would have included a silent auction, raffle and 50/ 50 draw.
“We don’t hate Oh Canada, Eh!,” Arndt said. “We feel bad for them, but we want our money back.”
The club has filed a proof of claim against Canadiana Productions Inc., which operated popular theatre, but Arndt isn’t too optimistic at this point the money will be returned.
“It’s a long, drawn-out process and there’s no guarantee anything will come from it,” she said.
Anyone interested in supporting the crew can send an etransfer to hopefloats@southniagaracanoeclub.ca. For additional information, visit southniagaracanoeclub.ca/hopefloats.
The dinner show is not the only team fundraiser that has been derailed due to COVID-19. The inaugural Hope Floats Challenge was to be held at the end of August at Welland International Flatwater Centre. Proceeds were to be split between the dragon boat team and Wellspring Niagara.
Members are still hoping to attend the 2022 event.
“If we can recoup, we will go,” Arndt said.
Oh Canada, Eh! could no longer be reached by phone Monday. An email sent to the company was undeliverable.
Taylor Leibow, a public accounting firm and insolvency trustee based in Hamilton, will hold a video conference meeting with creditors of Canadiana Production Inc. in early July.