OLDS — The Rotary Club of Olds Harvest Ball raised more money than expected, spokesman Wayne Burgess says.
The Harvest Ball, held last month in the Olds Regional Exhibition’s Cow Palace, attracted about 350 people. It featured a dinner, a live auction and music by Girl Crush YYC.
“Thanks to a very generous community and crowd, funds were raised to complete our commitment of $50,000 to the Mountain View Emergency Shelter (Kirsten's Place),” Burgess wrote in an email.
The society helps obtain safe spaces for adults -- and often their children -- in the region fleeing domestic violence. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It also promotes awareness of family violence and advocates for violence prevention.
The society has been raising money for several years for an emergency shelter called Kirsten’s Place in honour of a Bowden woman killed a couple of years ago in an apparent case of domestic violence.
Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society (MVESS) spokesman Joe Carignan has said it’s hoped the society will be able to start construction of the shelter next spring on property provided by the town of Olds at the south end of 50th Avenue at 54th Street. Power was installed at the site roughly two months ago.
Debbie Unger of the Rotary Club says because there was a possibility of breaking ground before winter, in August, the club dipped into $25,000 from their 2023 project funds.
They gave it to the Mountain View Emergency Shelter Build Fund “with the faith that they could recoup those funds plus the remaining $25,000 at the Harvest Ball,” Unger wrote in an email.
“Thanks to a very generous community and crowd of over 350, enough funds were raised to meet the $50,000 Royal Lepage Radiothon pledge match,” she wrote.
The funds were raised through a raffle, 50/50 heads or tails game, silent auction and the return of a live auction featuring auctioneer Tyler Rosehill of Rosehill Auction Services.
“After hearing Tara McDonald of the Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society highlight many of their programs that assist, educate and support families, you could have heard a pin drop as Brian Gardner and Amanda Sande told the crowd why Kirsten’s House is so important to our community,” Unger wrote.
“Domestic Violence can happen to any family and the effects are devastating.“
“The Rotary Club sincerely thanks all the generous donors, buyers and attendees at this event. Everything is possible with the help of this great community," Unger added.
The club’s next project was a Dragon’s Den, modelled after the well-known CBC show of the same name. It was held Nov. 16 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Air Cadet Hall.
“We are encouraging local and community groups to come and make their pitch for funds and support from Rotary,” Burgess wrote, prior to the event.
He said plans are also in the works for another trip by Olds and area Rotarians down to Mexico next September to deliver donated emergency vehicles for communities in that country.
Olds Rotarians have participated in the so-called Los Amigos trip several times in recent years.
