Those who attended the Sechelt Hospital Foundation’s Art of Healing gala in October 2018 were told to expect another wonderful art-focused fundraising event in two years – and then, as everyone knows, the pandemic changed all our lives. The plans for 2020 were postponed.
But in early 2021, the committee gathered again to plan a repeat of the highly successful gala evening. The venue was booked – the beautiful Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden – while sponsors were sought, and donations solicited. Our community was generous in their support of our stressed and fatigued frontline health-care workers and our local hospital. All was going well – and then the fourth wave came, making a live event inadvisable. Did the committee give up? Certainly not!
Instead, as so many others have had to do during this unprecedented time, they changed direction. The Art of Healing 2021 will include all three of the key features from 2018: a draw for beautiful pieces of local art, an auction of desirable experience packages, and a raffle for not one, but three exciting travel adventures – but with some changes.
The exhibit of the 36 donated works of art from local artists will still be on display during the three-day Art Crawl (Oct. 22-24) at the Botanical Garden (5941 Mason Rd.) so that the (sold out) Collector ticket holders can browse their potential choices, and members of the public can enjoy seeing the works donated by these generous artists, buy raffle tickets, and consider the auction packages. On Saturday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m., those Collector ticket holders will log into an online event while enjoying a package of delectable food and drink delivered to their door that afternoon (courtesy of Nourish Eatery and Juice Bar, Lighthouse Liquor, Nougatine, and Coastal Rides). From the comfort and safety of their homes, they will clutch their bid cards and get set to select their preferred painting. When their number is chosen, each ticket holder will have only 90 seconds to make a choice and, of course, the selections are reduced by one each time a number is chosen.
Once the art pieces are selected, the Art of Healing virtual event will enable everyone to share in the fun. The auction and raffle event will be live-streamed via YouTube (the link will be posted at www.secheltfoundation.org). Tune in and enjoy the show! Six high-value auction packages are open to everyone via a silent auction (at www.32auctions.com/SHFArtofHealing2021), available now and up to the evening of the gala (Oct. 23). At 7:30 p.m., after the art draw, auctioneer Ed Hill will turn his attention to those six packages and engage the online audience in finalizing their bids. Watch the live stream and be ready to bid – the hammer will fall at 8 p.m. sharp. Don’t miss out on a garden redesign, or a garden décor refresh package, travel packages to Mexico, the Okanagan, and the Yukon – there’s even a pair of the stylish John Fluevog shoes favoured by our own Dr. Bonnie Henry.
The grand prize raffle has gone online as well. Packages of tickets in various affordable denominations can be purchased at artofhealing.splashdot.com. There are three prizes this year: a two-night stay at the elegant Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria; a three-night experience at the exclusive West Coast Wilderness Lodge that includes a trip to the breathtaking Princess Louisa Inlet; and the grand prize, two tickets to Venice along with a cash travel bonus and travel planning services courtesy of Travel Only. The winners of these three prizes will be drawn and announced immediately following the close of the auction. Get your tickets now so you don’t miss out on your chance at one of these amazing packages.
For more information, go to sechelthospitalfoundation.org (Fundraising – Art of Healing 2021). Help us express our gratitude to our health-care workers in a tangible way by ensuring that, as always, the best medicine is local!
