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Annual hospital gala moved to bigger Langley Events Centre Fieldhouse

Denim dropped for red carpet treatment at Langley Memorial Hospital’s Old Hollywood Gala
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Last year’s Wine Pull sold out, thanks to the generosity of folks like Marco Iannuzzi and his wife Jennifer, so it will be expanded thgis year at the Old Hollywood Gala.

By Bob Groeneveld/Langley Advance Times

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Check out Gala auction items and begin bidding now, by clicking here.

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Last year jeans were de rigueur, but this year Langley’s annual hospital gala dress code is going in the opposite direction: strictly Hollywood red carpet.

And a move to the Langley Events Centre Fieldhouse on Saturday, June 1, means that Langley Memorial Hospital’s Old Hollywood Gala will have room for more people and bigger fundraising opportunities.

Last year’s Denim & Diamonds Gala came within a hair’s breadth of raising a half million dollars for LMH equipment and amenities.

This year, gala organizers hope the red carpet will lead to big gains in the Emergency Response campaign to build a new Emergency Department and MRI Suite.

The campaign has already raised 85 per cent of the $15 million fundraising goal, “and we’re hoping, with the generosity seen that night, we may get close to finishing, or even complete the campaign,” said Terra Scheer of the LMH Foundation.

Leanne Laurin is part of the committee working towards the gala’s success.

It’s her first year on the committee, but she’s no stranger to the gala.

Her husband Michael has been a financial supporter of the gala for years, and his company, Laurin Financial Group, is for its second year now a presenting sponsor of the event.

Both Leanne and Michael were impressed with the quality of care that Leanne’s mother received when she spent the last 10 days of her life at LMH three years ago.

And with her own experience in setting up a foundation after a friend’s child committed suicide, she felt she had something positive to offer.

“It got me realizing how important philanthropy is to the community,” she said. “Giving back is important, and if you can, you you have to help your kids to realize the importance of helping.”

As a committee member, her job is to “reach out to colleagues and friends, to reach out to our social circles to get support for the gala.”

And those circles have provided a generous array of cash and donations, said Laurin, listing a cross section of items she was busy setting up and wrapping in her living room in preparation for the gala: rustic wood signs, magic bullets, growlers of beer, golf baskets, framed artwork…”

Some of the items will appear in the evening’s silent auction, others will become prizes. Some of the bottles in the Wine Pull, for instance, will have numbers on the bottom, for additional gifts.

She seemed delighted that one of the other committee members had acquired a bottle of Dom Perignon which will end up going home with a lucky bidder or prize-winner.

“We have some pretty cool prizes this year,” said Laurin, including a fishing trip with a stay for two at a lodge among the live auction items.

Both the live and silent auctions are extended online this year. The online bidding system is available at lmhfgala.ca and will go live on Friday evening, allowing guests a sneak preview of all the live and silent auction items available, and start the bidding early.

The committee was also charged with coming up with ideas for decorating the venue. Previous events were at the Cascades Casino.

“Now we’re at the LEC Fieldhouse,” said Laurin, “so we had to create a vision to make a hockey rink look like Hollywood… definitely a big job.”

Last year’s Denim & Diamonds Gala hosted 350 guests. This year, Old Hollywood has already outstripped that number in ticket sales, online at lmhfoundation.com/gala.

“We’re really encouraging guests this year to leave the jeans at home and walk the red carpet with the glamour you would see in movie stars of days past and present,” said Scheer.

The LEC Fieldhouse will allow more guest tables, more fundraising activities, and a bigger dance floor.

The Diamond Dig, a sandbox filled with chances to win great prizes, is back this year.

And because last year’s Wine Pull sold out, the number of bottles has been raised. Each $50 ticket “pulls” a wine worth between $15 and $300, with a chance to win a $1,000 gift certificate for Chaberton Estate Winery.