The 2025 Gala opened the door to new possibilities and exciting opportunities for the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation. Held in a completely different venue this year, the Friend Raiser Gala featured a fresh theme and a creative format. With a renewed commitment to community engagement, this year’s event raised over $500,000, reflecting the Foundation’s dedication, hard work, and successful fundraising efforts.
Guests gathered in support of the Foundation in elegant suits and gowns for a night of luxury and sparkle. The Edmonton Convention Centre created a custom menu for the event, and wines were hand-picked by one of Edmonton’s finest sommeliers, Graham Versailles. The fundraising portion of the night featured Harry Santa-Olalla, a passionate auctioneer who electrified the room. The night ended with a dance party and live performance by Uptown.
The night’s program featured:
- Fundraising initiatives
- A silent auction with 43 curated packages
- A raffle to win one of two unique experiences – every ticket sold coming with a balloon and gift with purchase valued at $198
- New this year, there was a live auction to win exclusive trips to Tuscany and Mykonos
- A donation appeal that, for the first time, used a paddle system to allow for a seamless guest experience – each guest being pre-assigned a number through the auction platform and simply raising their paddle to make a donation
- Other program activities
- The program was intentionally kept short and sweet, allowing guests more time to mix, mingle, and enjoy the night
- All speeches featured real-time, human closed captioning services for those with hearing impairments
- The photo booth was incredibly popular, with nearly 200 memories captured throughout the night
- The dance party went on well past midnight and guests had a great time!
- Decor
- The foyer entrance featured large towering statement pieces surrounded by greenery.
- The table centrepieces mimicked this design, with three towers at each table that contained sponsor logos, a QR code to access the silent auction items, and more.
- The rest of the decor and the linens were specially chosen to convey the luxury of the night, with rich colours, shapes and textures complementing the theme colours
- Some guests paid an additional registration fee for a Premier experience, which included:
- Limos with champagne that came to pick each group up and drop them back off at the end of the night, at the time of the group’s choosing
- White glove concierge service for food and drinks at their table
- Luxury table wines not available for sale at retail stores
- Specially curated gift bags with consumable gifts for guests to enjoy after the Gala