ARCOLA - Tables, decorated with themes for Halloween, farming, movie night and more, set the mood for the Creative Tables fundraiser.
This was the 14th annual event created by Darlene Olsen, an ambassador for the Look Good, Feel Good program. It was held on Oct. 12 at the Arcola Prairie Place Complex.
Olsen said she sticks with things she loves, which includes working with Mary Kay for 44 years, and being married to Allen for 38 years. She has volunteered with Look Good, Feel Good in Regina for 26 years and has now spent 14 years with Creative Tables, and she loves them all.
Several raffle draws began the evening, with Olsen insisting that the winners jump for joy and run to the front while cheering.
Tables of eight or 10 were sold months in advance, with the host of each table coming up with the theme.
When the theme is decided, the other guests at the table dress accordingly. The host will decorate the table in the theme and provide gifts for the guests.
Supper was prepared and catered by Steve and Allison Massel from Lampman and the host served the table. Although the event was not sold out, they had a great crowd of people.
To quench everyone’s thirst, the Arcola Optimist Club took care of the bar and any other jobs that needed to be done throughout the evening.
The event is to show support for men and women who have experienced breast cancer, and a show of hands showed many in the crowd have gone through this disease.
Look Good, Feel Good (LGFG) is a program offered to women after they have surgery to help them feel better about themselves. The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation supplies all the makeup for this program, which is now in 27 countries around the world.
Sunita Prasad from Mississauga, Ont., was the spokesperson for Mary Kay.
She said that women who attended the LGFG program often come out smiling and laughing, as they have the opportunity to be with other people who have had the same experience as them.
Eighty-six per cent of the women that go to this love the program and feel that it has helped them.
Before supper was over, a cake donated by Cathy Burton came up for auction. The towering pumpkin spice, chocolate cake with brown sugar icing was sold with Colleen Bennett acting as the auctioneer. As she had the crowd laughing, bidders also eagerly raised their hands, and the final bid was $375 from Teresa Dyck from Rising Hope Ranch by Arcola.
It was now time to play heads or tails. This game had the crowd placing their hands either on their heads or butts. A coin was tossed and if heads was turned up, the people with their hands on their heads sat down.
When a few people remained, they came to the front of the group and continued playing until there was a winner. Laura Kidd won a pick child’s car donated by Carlyle’s Merit Ford.
This game was played twice more, with Roxanne Waelchli winning the Moose Jaw Mineral Spa package and Judy Eaton taking home a $595 purse donated by Mary Kay.
On the south wall in the complex, tables lined the wall with donations for a silent auction. These tables saw regular visits as people could bid throughout the evening.
Nicole Currie presented Olsen with a bouquet of flowers for her dedicated work to this worthy cause, saying that Olsen is a support of light to many.
Nora Yeates from the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan gave a brief speech on upcoming initiatives, such as the rural bus that badly needed repairs. She announced that a new $2 million bus was on its way.
The previous breast cancer bus was over 20 years old and had leaks in the roof, limited air conditioning, and the front door needed to be propped open, among other issues.
They offer support to families for meals, parking and overnight lodging. When a person goes through cancer, this affects the whole family and at times this causes a great strain on the family's finances.
To complete the evening, Michele Amy from Forget took to the stage as the guest speaker.
Amy is dealing with breast cancer and has had two surgeries this year, the first in June when a lumpectomy occurred and they hoped they got it all, but the cancer returned, and a second surgery was need in July when they removed more tissue. She had surgery again on Oct. 16 to have a mastectomy.
Amy’s message to the crowd was very clear: go and get checked. It is so important if they find the cancer early.
Her friend went for testing and the news was not good. After this Amy underwent testing to find out she also had cancer.
“We have a choice on how we deal with issues,” said Amy. “I choose to deal with the moment.”
She plans to enjoy each day to its fullest, and if she is having a bad day, she will question herself on what’s going on.
People shouldn’t worry about the days that have not come yet, she said. Some things can't be changed, so what we have now should be enjoyed.
Being scared is an honest feeling as people are not sure how it will be after, but people do have the choice on how to deal with it.
As the evening came to an end once again, Olsen thanked everyone for attending, for opening their hearts and wallets. “All the businesses and individuals that donated to the silent auction were thanked. She said this event can not be done without their support.
She was happy to see many new faces and was grateful for the regulars to return.
It was another successful event and Olsen looks forward to the 15th anniversary in 2024, which will bring great things.
