Excitement in the air for Women’s Place fundraiser

It’s because of fundraising events such as the upcoming Brunch, Bid and Bowl that Women’s Place of South Niagara continues to provide programs and services for women and children experiencing abuse.

“It’s not a problem that’s going away, unfortunately,” said Amanda Braet, development director for Women’s Place.

“Last year, we had 292 women and children that stayed in our shelter. There was hundreds others that we served through our outreach programs. On average, we receive six support calls a day. A staggering number is the fact that we were so full throughout the year that we did have to refer 192 women and children elsewhere because we just didn’t have the space for them.”

Women’s Place volunteers and staff have been working for months to prepare for its annual Brunch, Bid and Bowl event.

With the help of local businesses and people, more than $ 20,000 worth of items will be up for grabs during a live and silent auction March 3.

Participants can register for Brunch, Bid and Bowl for free by forming a team of six- to- eight bowlers and committing to raising a minimum of $ 800 in support of local domestic violence shelters in Niagara Falls ( Nova House) and Welland ( Serenity Place).

Anyone not wishing to bowl also has the option to purchase tickets to Brunch and Bid for $ 40 ($ 20 for children nine and younger).

The day’s events start at 11 a. m. at Club Italia, where participants enjoy a hot brunch, auctions and other activities.

Once brunch is done, participants who have joined a bowling team head over to Cataract Bowl to show off their skills on the lanes and celebrate the thousands they have raised to support women and children in the community.

This year’s live auction includes 12 packages ranging in value from $ 170 to $ 1,000.

Packages include everything from dining and hotel experiences, a Weber barbecue, a golf experience with LPGA member Cathy Sherk, a floral arrangement workship, a Family Fun for 4 package and a Lucky Pot of Gold full of gift cards and scratch tickets.

Participants also have the opportunity to bid on more than 150 silent auction packages.

Braet said the fundraising goal for this year’s event is $ 40,000, with the proceeds supporting programs and services offered by Women’s Place.

She said the event is also in celebration of International Women’s Day, which is March 8.

The registration deadline is Sunday.

For more information about the event, visit womensplacesn.org.

Braet said a similar event has been hosted for about 15 years, but this will be the third year of this incarnation.

“We changed the format and the bidding part is a big piece because there’s a really exciting live auction that they didn’t have before and a great silent auction, so between the two, the community has been so generous,” she said.

“People love the energy and the excitement of the live auction, particularly because we have the auctionista, who is phenomenal and really close to the domestic violence sector, she’s been involved with it quite a bit. Even if you’re not bidding on items, it’s entertaining to participate in it and just watch.”

Braet said organizers have replaced the 50- 50 with a heads and tails game.

She said it costs $ 10 to buy in and participate, with a chance to win a 32- gig iPad, which was donated to the event.

“The great thing about that is it’s very interactive, people are standing up and before we flip a coin they’re picking whether they’re heads or tails and we continue doing that until there’s only one person and then they win the prize. We’ve received a lot of great feedback about that. It’s just different.”

Braet said one in every three women will experience some type of abuse in their lifetime.

“It’s bound to happen to either themselves or somebody they love, whether it’s a friend or family member, so it’s important that we have services here to provide protection and safety for them, for those people that need it,” she said.

“More than anything, all of our services are free, so we depend heavily on fundraising dollars, which make up 30 per cent of our operating budget. Without that we wouldn’t be able to continue just sustaining the programs that we have.”