Celebrating 30 Years of Resilience: A Night to Remember
Reflecting on the Gala’s Success and Its Impact on Healing & Support
Dear Supporter,
In November we witnessed astounding generosity as the donor community came together to support the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) 30th Anniversary Charity Gala. On behalf of IRSSS, we would like to thank all those who made a conscious effort to choose to celebrate reconciliation by supporting this momentous occasion – we raise our hands to you!
We would like to report that this milestone event was a success! Through ticket sales, donations, and sponsorships, we have raised over $190,000!
Our primary goal was to unite the donor community in celebration of three decades of healing while raising vital funds to support our mission. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we not only achieved this goal but surpassed it – raising over $190,000! Your support has not only covered all event costs but also generated essential donations that will sustain IRSSS programming in the year ahead.
With this success, we would also like to make a special effort to share this accomplishment with the communities that we serve. We will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary with those that continue to make positive changes, empowering their Indigenous communities through healing. So, stay tuned for updates on this special event in 2025!
Once again, we would like to express our gratitude for the support. Each level of generosity made a huge difference. We’d also like to share some positive feedback from our wonderful attendees:
“Amazing event and well put together. The food was good, it looked beautiful, and I loved the range of auction items and that they were at different prices. Loved the people put together at my table (none of us knew each other before) and that the event didn't feel too corporate.”
“I believe that the event serves a great cause.”
“Believe in the work of IRSSS, definitely worthy of interest and support.”
“Nice event, well organized, good balance of serious and fun!”
We are also very appreciative to those who gave us feedback on how we can make future events even better. This is so valuable, especially for our future community events coming up!
You have done so much to support our organization, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to hear more about IRSSS and the work that we are so passionate about. We’d love to continue to build upon this relationship. Consider keeping in contact with our organization as a monthly donor. We would be so grateful to have you join this wonderful community.
Huy chexw a,
April Helm | IRSSS Development Coordinator - on behalf of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
A special thank you goes out to Gala co-hosts Tantoo Cardinal and Sophie Lui, M’Girl for their inspiring performance, Crystal Campbell for leading a lively auction, and Elders Mary Point and Dennis Joseph for opening and closing the evening with meaningful protocols. Your contributions made the celebration a memorable success.
And thank you to the following Gala sponsors and to our premier auction donors - we couldn’t have done this without you.