A gala giving back to Three Oaks Foundation is being planned for next year.
The Lloyd Pearce Foundation is planning a carnival gala for April 27, 2024 to give back to Three Oaks.
Marianne Smith, a member of the Three Oaks Carnival Gala committee, says they are using the full year to try and make the event as successful as possible.
“We have to find the venue. We have to find sponsors. We have to find donors and donations for our silent auction and live auction,” Smith tells Quinte News.
One hundred per cent of the proceeds from ticket sales and auctions will go towards the Three Oaks Foundation.
The event is vintage carnival masquerade-themed.
Smith explained that the theme was chosen as an ode to the women who lost their lives due to gender-based violence.
“We’re asking all our attendees to wear a masquerade mask and at 9 p.m. we will have a vigil where we will unmask in honour of all the women lost to gender-based violence,” Smith said.
“We will host our live auctions and hopefully that’ll entice people to understand that this is a real issue in our community.”
A luncheon is being planned for April 27, exactly one year before the planned gala event, to provide more details about what will be taking place at the gala.
“Tickets (for the event) go live on May 1, which is after a press release. We will share more details about the entire gala then introduce the public to our chair, our co-chair and our decor chair and everybody involved in making this event happen,” Smith says.
The event has an important meaning for Smith who says she herself was a victim of domestic violence.
She says she wants to give back to Three Oaks after they helped her escape her abuse.
“They saved my life, they truly did,” Smith said. “In that aspect, they saved my sons’ lives because they have a mom. Abuse does a lot to a woman and it can affect your mental health to the point where you just don’t want to be here anymore.”
Since the announcement of the gala, Smith says victims have reached out to her and organizers of the gala about escaping abusive situations.
“I’ve been contacted on Facebook by so many women saying that my story has helped them. This announcement of the gala has helped them,” Smith said.
“I’ve been helping them leave abusive situations and they’ve ended up at Three Oaks and Three Oaks just continues to help and that’s why I want the community to now help Three Oaks.”
Tickets for the event go live on May 1.
More information about the event can be found at the Three Oaks Carnival Gala’s website.
