The British Invasion

We were all there in the ballroom at the Chateau Lacombe when it happened.

 

There had been a buzz in the air for quite some time. An opportunity was coming to infuse funds into Kids Kottage to help vulnerable children to become caring, competent people in spite of their families’ barriers and challenges with poverty, unemployment, homelessness, addictions and mental illness.

 

We walked down the red carpet, saw that WAM Development Group was presenting the opportunity to help. Supporting organizations gathered around WAM Development Group: Elegant Touches, Kingston Ross Pasnak, Northplex, Sureway Construction Group Ltd, Go Auto, The Dianne & Irving Kipnes Foundation, Stantec, Sureway and Production World.

 

We stopped at the “selfie” booth and marked the occasion of our participation in the opportunity to help keep children safe. As we came closer to the ballroom entrance we were enveloped in the growing British ambiance.

 

We stepped into the ballroom and were simply “gob-smacked” at the scene before us. The British Invasion was complete! Beetle tunes rocked – “She loves you, YaYaYa”. Peace symbols, musical notes and records bespangled the fresh flower table centres. Tables were adorned in British flag themed table cloths, the chairs adorned with sixties bling.

 

A fabulous meal followed. Then came Bridget Ryan’s call to “do what we came here to do”. A video introduced us all to an impoverished single mom of two small children. Her little boy threw his ball in the kitchen breaking a glass! Mom erupted, went way over the top, spewing volcanic language at her little boy. Banished from mom’s sight an innocent little one sat alone in his room, his body racked with tears, saying, “Sorry mommy, sorry mommy”. Mom is out of control. She screams at the infant who began crying in reaction to mom’s anger and loud voice, and his brother’s tears.

 

This is where Kids Kottage comes in, building a bridge from mom’s crisis to calm.

 

In view of the fact that it costs $270 per day to provide all that a child needs to be safe and secure at Kids Kottage and to support the child’s parents to make home safe and nurturing again, Bridget implored us all to do our part by bidding high on the auction items. We took her urging to heart. One of the guests offered a last minute auction item—a trip to Hawaii, and another guest proffered two tickets to Iceland!

 

Having “taken care of business” we allowed the music of Bella Rouge to draw us to the very adequate dance floor from whence we danced the night away!!

 

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