AMHERST – When organizers of the Cumberland Health Care Foundation’s annual dinner were looking for a theme for this year’s event, they had no idea how successful it would be.
And successful it was as one of the largest crowds ever participated in the foundation’s Adult Prom at Amherst Regional High School on Saturday, May 5.
“It went very well, it exceeded our expectations,” foundation managing director Gwen Kerr said. “We had more than 300 people there which made it a sellout. That’s something that hasn’t happened every year.”
From the traditional sit-down meal, the event allowed people to relive their high school prom. For some it was a trip back to the 1970s, 80s or 90s and their own high school prom, while for others it may have been their first prom.
Kerr said foundation chairperson Katherine Hatheway came up with the idea of a high school prom and pitched it to the board. While they had no idea how it would be received, they were overwhelmed with positive comments and ticket sales.
“It’s an idea that really took off,” Kerr said. “It’s something that a lot of people had a lot of fun with. “People had a ball.”
The night even came with a prom king and queen with Matt Lewis and Dr. Justyna Krol-Lass being honoured.
While a final tally has yet to be reached, she expects the event raised between $23,000 and $25,000 for Cumberland Mental Health and Addictions that offers the Working Together, community mental health and youth mental health and addictions programs.
The evening also saw the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award to Weston Bakers and the Volunteer of the Year Award to members of the Cumberland Cancer Assistance and Palliative Assistance Committee while the director of health services for the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre was honoured for her continued support of the cancer and palliative assistance programs.
Last year, Weston Bakeries, with the support of plant manager Tyler McLeod and Natasha Porter, started a fundraising campaign that included raffles, barbecues, employee payroll deductions and more to support the mental health fund.
With parent company George Weston Ltd. matching what was raised locally, the 2017 Weston Seeding Strong Communities initiative provided $116,624 to mental health and addictions fund to support initiatives and programming for children and youth across Cumberland County.
Members of the cancer and palliative assistance committee – including Cheryl Smith, Patricia Harrington, Janet Ripley, Dr. Tim Giddens, Bob Janes and David Wood – were honoured for their work in supporting the program that provides everything from gas cards to nutritional supplements to cancer and palliative care patients.
