The 10th annual Katie Cares Celebration of Life Fashion Show was the non-profit’s most successful one yet.
The sold-out fundraiser, held at the Meridian Exhibition Centre in Winkler Saturday night, saw 640 people come out to an enjoy an evening of food, music, auction prizes, and, of course, fashion from a variety of local retailers.
When all is said and done, it’s expected the night will have raised over $80,000 for Katie Cares and the Katie’s Cottage respite home—more than double last year’s earnings and a new record to boot.
“We had enough sponsorship this year that the whole show was paid for,” shares executive director Ruth Reimer. ”So once we were selling tickets, that was already profit.”
The fashion show has come a long way from the small event held in a local church gymnasium for the first time over a decade ago. That one raised about $17,000 and welcomed a little over 200 guests.
“I feels like we’re growing up,” Reimer reflects. “We’re not this little charity anymore that was in the Emmanuel Church or when we first started in the hospital. We’re growing up and we’re doing really good work for our community, for the families that need it so desperately. I think of a few families that are in our building right now and they’re struggling; if they weren’t here, where would they be right now?”
The respite home provides people with an affordable, welcoming place to stay while a loved one receives care at the nearby Boundary Trails Health Centre. Guests can book a room overnight or simply stop by during the day to relax instead of waiting at the hospital. The cottage has welcomed over 500 guests so far in 2023.
Raising such a substantial amount of funds in one evening takes a huge bite out of the charity’s expenses for the year.
“I can’t even describe what it means to have this kind of support and relief all at the same time,” Reimer says, noting the COVID-19 years were challenging ones for the organization and they’re still recovering.
With this year’s proceeds, the fashion show has raised upward of $380,000 for Katie Cares since 2011.
“That has sustained us,” Reimer says. “It has purchased Beanie Babies for children receiving care. It has fed guests. It has paid bills. It has brought relief and comfort to so many.”
Photos by Ashleigh Viveiros/Voice
The 10th annual Katie Cares Celebration of Life Fashion Show had models on the catwalk at the Meridian Exhibition Centre in Winkler Saturday night to raise funds for Katie’s Cottage. The evening also included music from The Bromantics (below), charcuterie and dessert, a live auction led by Morris Olafson, and silent auction prizes. Over $80,000 was raised.
