Gala Dinner a huge success!!

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

Once again, the Lasqueti Last Resort Gala Dinner and Auction was a huge success.  Not to mention a great party.  Events such as this are only possible when we come together as a community in loving and generous support.

We would like to acknowledge and thank all these people.  The day before the Gala,  Aileen Collings and Zbig Wierzbicki opened their kitchen for Bruce and Wendy S. to co-create Moroccan sausage and chevre cheese.  The next day, in the kitchen, under the masterful guidance of Chef Bruce Wood from Salt Spring Island, these folks worked their buns off:  Wendy Schneible, Richard Chesham, Loren LeFort, Leslie Clarke, Annie Carrithers, Kathy Schultz, Kathy Fisher, and Charlotte Taylor.

Our bevy of cleaning kings and queens made the T Pot shine, before and after the event.  Thanks to Sandy Morrison, MaryJean Hagedorn, Lisa Johnson, Bill Morrison, Mike Taylor, Janine Runnings, Brian Runnings, Charlotte Taylor, Charline Durchanek, and Pamela and Larry.

Out on the floor, our gloriously beautiful serving staff under the velvet claws of Janine and Lisa were Anna Dodds, Jessica Sachs, Constanze Albrecht, Aigul Kukolj, and Jessica Hepper.  Our bar crew par excellence was Jenny Vester, Mark Bottomly, and Simmah Petersen.  Jenny and Simmah did a bang up job running the auction.

Merrick Anderson provided technical support, and Mike Taylor produced pots of coffee.  Use of good cutlery, glassware and dishes came from the Bergen family.

Many people donated from gardens and orchards.  So many kisses to Shawn Dirkson, Betsy Williamson, Merrick Anderson, Robyn Dryburgh, Julie Mitchell, Gail Fleming, Josie Martens, Sheila Harrington, Cindy Craven, Jenny V.,  Pat Forbes, Mike McDonald, Marti Wendt, Milan Cejka, and Flora and Arne. Fish, seafood, lamb and goat came from Jim Millicheap, Ritchie Stewart, Mike Gentry, Joan and Steve Bentley, Sailor and Lisa Johnson, and Aileen and Zbig.  Beauty chocolates came from Deb Perell of Wolf Island Chocolates.  Thanks, you guys.

Thank you, Rena Shiek and James Schwartz, for all your work beautifying the front gate and the gardens.  Rena, James, Katy Stewart, Betsy W., Pat Forbes, and Cindy Craven provided lovely bouquets and flowers.  Many unknown flower faeries contributed to the arrangements.
Ice was provided by the Lasqueti Hotel, and martini fixings were donated by KGL Freight.  To keep all this cold, we thank the Felkers for use of their wee fridge.  Ray Lipovsky did all our printing, some of it so last minute, it was scary.

Janine Runnings lead the team that transformed the T Pot into a thing of beauty.  Her vision is impeccable.  Lisa J., Sandy M., and Heather Cameron worked with her to create a fabulous ambience.

The contributions from the following folks made our auction so successful:  Captain Craig Hardy, Jim Millicheap, Mary McRae, Adria Ellis, Ivy Runnings, Shawna Karras, Crystals and Chamomile, Ron Abrahams and Shirley Rogers, Alexa Thornton, Lasqueti Fish Company, Sylvia and Richard Kowalewski, Eve Llyndorah and Ray Lipovsky, Gillian Beales, Robert Wallace, Bonnie Olesko, Suzy Rezansof, Dazy Drake, and Karl Darwin.  After the auction, spontaneous donations brought in ANOTHER $10,000.  We can't possibly thank all of you enough.

None of this would have been possible without the professional expertise of Chef Bruce Wood of Bruce's Kitchen on Salt Spring Island.  That he took three days from his crazy busy schedule to be of service to our community and the Last Resort Society was way beyond the call.  We really love Bruce.  If you're ever on Salt Spring, please stop in to his restaurant and give him love from Lasqueti.  We gifted Bruce with a Tony Seaman painting in a Wildwood box.  Thank you, Laurence.

All in all we raised just over $22,000.00 to go towards our Health Centre.  That's right, twenty two thousand dollars.  Wow.  Who could've imagined? (but Joy says she always knew we could)

Love and kisses all around,
Annie and Joy