December 16, 2015
Three cute little ‘snowflakes’ enjoy their sweet treats at the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation’s 19th annual Snowflake Gala.
Story by Kerri Robins; photo courtesy of The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation
Christmas simply wouldn’t be Christmas without snowflakes and candy canes — and this year there were plenty of each on hand to help raise money for sick children in Alberta.
The 19th annual Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation Snowflake gala in Edmonton and the ninth annual Candy Cane gala for Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation in Calgary both buttoned up the yuletide season in style with dinner, dancing and entertainment earlier this month.
Both pinnacle events for their foundations, both kid-friendly evenings also hosted a silent auction and offered family portrait sittings.
The $765,000 raised by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation will be used to support educational programs and training services for the highly specialized health care professionals at the Stollery Children’s Hospital.
Whether it’s funding pediatric research, equipment training or staff development and education for the advancement of pediatric medicine; Stollery kids will continue to receive excellent care thanks to the partnership between the hospital and the foundation.
Mike House, President and CEO of the foundation, says: “This year’s gala theme, ‘We are the Stollery’, captures this spirit of working together and giving one’s time, talent or treasure to build better, stronger, healthier communities. Through those efforts, we’re transforming how children’s health services are delivered across western Canada.”
The Snowflake Gala is a wonderful example of what happens when community generosity connects to a vision for changing the world.
Meanwhile, the same high calibre of partnership exists in Calgary between the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. Raising $840,000 this year, the Candy Cane Gala treated more than 1,700 guests — half of them children — to a magical evening theme of ‘The Holidays at Hogwarts’.
This year’s funds will support the emergency department at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, which stepped up to treat more than 77,000 emergencies last year. With a total $6 million raised over nine years, the gala has become Calgary’s premiere black-tie family event.
And thanks to these galas, sick kids across Alberta can count on some snowflakes and candy canes in their stockings this year.
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