Supporters of the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent helped launch a new fundraiser in grand style this past weekend.
The inaugural Gala for the Kids brought in $350,000 on Saturday night.
The finally tally came in large part thanks to a $250,000 donation from the Chatham Rotary Club, which Foundation president Mike Genge says is one of the single largest donations the organization has ever received.
“Chatham Rotary has been a supporter of the Children’s Treatment Centre going back to the Eugenie Street days, way back, I’m talking 50 years Rotary has been involved in what we’ve done,” Genge says. “One of the core values of Rotary is children, and they really believe in what we do.”
Saturday’s black tie event at the Chatham Armouries included a three-course dinner, live entertainment, and live and silent auctions.
Previously under the Festival of Giving banner, the annual fundraiser for the Children’s Treatment Centre have been held online for the last few years because of the pandemic, bringing in $160,000 in 2022.
The next major fundraiser for the Treatment Centre Foundation is the annual Smile Cookie Campaign in May, followed by the Run for the Kids, slated for June 25 at Rondeau Provincial Park.