Night of Wonders Gala Photos

Night of Wonders raises funds to grant wishes for children diagnosed with a life-threatening illness

On Thursday, March 7, the Children’s Wish Foundation, BC & Yukon Chapter hosted their sixth annual Night of Wonders Gala, which raised a record-breaking $550,000 in gross proceeds. Over 400 dynamic influencers, business and community leaders joined together for the event at the London Aviation Centre in its state-of-the-art airport hangar.

The venue was transformed into the magic of a wish by production partners, CountDown Events. Guests enjoyed culinary delights from The Lazy Gourmet caterers, paired with Okanagan wines from Liquidity.

Emceed by news personalities Sophie Lui (Global BC) and Fred Lee (CBC), the gala featured a coveted silent and live auction. This year’s live auction was the largest to date and raised $137,000 toward the organization. Gala-goers were treated to an exclusive live dance performance by the Goh Ballet Academy, as well as a moving contortionist performance by Wish Kid Anna Joy Ryan.

“We are humbled and truly grateful for another incredible Night of Wonders gala to support wish granting for children diagnosed with a life-threatening illness,” says Hannah Smith, provincial director of Children’s Wish Foundation, BC & Yukon Chapter. “The outpouring of love and support we received last night from the local philanthropic and business community will allow us to fund half of the 110 wishes we will grant in the next year. As over 400 of us witnessed last night, the magic of a wish is beyond words and we are so thankful to all who made this event our most successful yet.”

See below for photos from the magical evening…

Kimberley Wallace, vice-president, Design Roofing and Children’s Wish BC & Yukon Chapter advisory board member and Hannah Smith, provincial director, Children’s Wish BC & Yukon Chapter

Kevin Mazzone, general manager of The Lazy Gourmet & Night of Wonders committee co-chair and Tiffany Soper, partner and co-founder, Avenue PR & Night of Wonders committee co-chair

Soha Lavin, creative director & founder, CountDown Events and Jenny De Jong, special events manager, CountDown Events

Adrian Bois, director, Individual Plans, Pacific Blue Cross; Heidi Worthington, senior vice president & chief revenue officer, Pacific Blue Cross, chief operating officer for subsidiary BC Life; and John Crawford, president and chief executive officer, Pacific Blue Cross

Anna Joy Ryan, Children’s Wish recipient & Night of Wonders performer; Priscilla Correa-Ryan and husband Ben Ryan, brother to Anna Joy

Virgil Hlus, partner, Clark Wilson LLP & Children’s Wish BC & Yukon Chapter advisory board chair; Jan Grude, senior strategic advisor, KPMG & Children’s Wish Foundation board member; and William Hung, executive vice president of strategic development, Teekay Shipping & Children’s Wish BC & Yukon Chapter advisory board member

Sophie Lui, anchor, Global BC & Night of Wonders Gala emcee and Fred Lee, CBC news personality & Night of Wonders Gala emcee

Children’s Wish recipient Shyla Tang, with father Chi Tang and mother Victoria Do

Children’s Wish BC & Yukon Chapter Advisory (from left to right): Paula Pepin, SVP, head of legal, Hootsuite; Adam Garvin, vice president, investor services, Trez Capital; Tammy Towill, partner, The Cordura Group; Kimberly Wallace, vice-president, Design Roofing; Virgil Hlus, partner, Clark Wilson LLP; Jan Grude, senior strategic advisor, KPMG; Michael Dha, managing director, STRIVE Recruitment

Annu and Michael Dha, member of Children’s Wish BC & Yukon Chapter Advisory Board, managing director, STRIVE Recruitment

Children’s Wish Night of Wonders Gala volunteers

Andrew Homeyer, Mindful Mortgage Mentor and Jennifer Robertson, actress & comedian

Ballerinas from the Goh Ballet Academy

Robin Gill, anchor, Global National and Sophie Lui, anchor, Global BC and Night of Wonders Gala emcee

Jan Grude, senior strategic advisor, KPMG & Children’s Wish Foundation board memberand Carole Taylor, Canadian school chancellor, journalist and B.C.’s former Minister of Finance

 

About Children’s Wish Foundation

Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada is the largest and only all-Canadian wish granting charity dedicated to granting wishes to Canadian children between the ages of 3 and 17 who are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. For more than 30 years, Children’s Wish has worked tirelessly to grant heartfelt wishes to over 25,000 children and their families—that’s three wishes each and every day, all year long.