STC gears up for Second Annual Vampire Gala fundraiser
- Fraser Needham | September 28, 2015
The Saskatoon Tribal Council is gearing up for its Second Annual Vampire Gala on October 29.
Funds raised from the Halloween-themed entertainment event go towards the White Buffalo Youth Lodge and STC’s Home Fires Foundation.
Indigenous singer Crystal Shawanda will serve as master of ceremonies with other entertainment being provided by well-known Cree Comedian Don Burnstick and the C-Weed band.
Youth band Live One will also perform.
Heidi Gravelle is the director of the White Buffalo Youth Lodge.
She says since the youth lodge depends on grants for all of its funding, money raised from a major fundraiser like the Vampire Gala is much appreciated.
“Currently White Buffalo doesn’t have any core dollars, all of our programs are ran based on what we apply for through grants and basically every little bit helps. So, with the gala it really brings a lot financially forward.”
Gravelle also says a big event like the Vampire Gala allows the youth lodge to showcase some of its programming to a wider audience.
These include a variety of meal, sports, wellness, culture and leadership programs.
“People don’t really know what’s going on here until you come here,” she says. “You can say how packed our programs are and how great the cooking is, how great the after school program is but until you actually come here and see the dynamics of the building and the staff, kids and youth that come, you don’t know. So, it’s brought people through the door. People who would never come here for any given reason.”
She adds one of White Buffalo’s most popular and expensive programs to run is the after school program.
“On a daily basis we have the after school program and we service anywhere between 22 to 30 kids an evening. So every kid that comes in gets a snack and a supper. That’s a meal that’s encompassing all the food groups and it’s wholesome and nutritious and they get to sit down and eat as a family. It’s a huge part of a growing child’s life, to be able to experience that in a healthy manner.”
The gala will take place at Teachers’ Credit Union Place.
Tickets are $250 each or $2,000 for a table of eight.
There is capacity for about 600 people.
Gravelle says running all programming out of the youth lodge costs about $600,000 per year and funds raised from the Vampire Gala have the potential to make a significant dent in that cost.
“If we were able to cover our whole program costs of all areas – from youth leadership to recreation to family wellness to culture – we would be the be all to end all. We would be able to provide the staffing and everything that’s needed. We don’t have that right now.”
One of the major sponsors of the event is Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Home Fires Foundation is a new program that seeks to build healthy, happy and whole families within an urban setting.
For more information on the Vampire Gala or to get tickets go to the STC website at http://www.sktc.sk.ca.