OLDS — Final preparations have made for the 10th École Olds High School Interact Club fundraising banquet.
The banquet, which takes place Tuesday, March 22, is the first such event in two years. Organizers have been unable to hold one since 2019, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Dinner, held in the Commons area, begins at 5 p.m. In addition to supper and musical entertainment, raffle draws will be held, as will the very popular dessert auction.
Money raised will primarily go toward the Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society which is raising money to construct a shelter on land they obtained from the Town last year off 50th Avenue and 54th Street.
Interact Club students will serve the meal. Students will also provide entertainment.
The Interact Club is essentially a junior Rotary Club active in the school, strongly supported by the school and the Rotary Club of Olds.
Aza Korver, one of the banquet organizers, notes that in the past, the club has raised funds for various international causes but this year, they wanted to support a local group.
“We really wanted to do something that affected the community and also had to do with mental health,” Korver said during an interview.
“Mental health issues have definitely risen during the pandemic, as well as violence issues, so when we saw this organization and that it was local and that your money was directly going straight to the community, we just really liked it; the whole organization. It helps people of all ages in all sorts of situations.”
The club began organizing for the event back before Christmas. But it wasn’t easy, Interact Club staff advisor Tane Skotheim said.
“It was hard, because we didn’t know if it was going to happen or not,” Skotheim said.
However, once it became clear that restrictions were being lifted, the event was a go.
There are several ways local residents or businesses can support the event.
One is to buy tickets to the banquet. They’re $20 for adults or $15 for students and can be purchased at ÉOHS.
"We try to keep the ticket prices really reasonable, because we want everybody to be able to afford to come and just have a nice evening out,” Skotheim said.
Another way to help is to donate a raffle table prize. Businesses and individuals that do so will be recognized during the evening.
Yet another option is to donate to and/or participate in the dessert auction which occurs at the end of the evening.
“This is always a hit and is only possible with the support of our local bakers,” the club says in a promotional letter.
Skotheim said club members are really excited to finally stage the banquet.
“They’re talking about buying dresses and getting dressed up, having music,” she said.
Korver agreed.
"I mean when was the last time you were able to dress up for anything, you know? So yeah, we’re excited to finally have an event and have fun," she said.
