Reach for a Dream Chocolate Breakfast a roaring success!
I recently had the privilege of putting my event planning skills to good use once again when asked to assist in the co-ordination of the Reach for a Dream Chocolate Breakfast.
The Foundation is a non-profit organisation and assists in fulfilling the dreams of children between the ages of 3 and 18 who are facing a life-threatening illness. As you can imagine, it was an honour to be involved and to help raise funds, knowing that the part I played would go some way to putting a smile on a child’s face.
Throughout the planning of the event I discovered just how generous the East London community is, both individuals and businesses. People were so happy to sponsor in some way, whether it was cases of champagne for the guests to enjoy or meal vouchers part of the lucky draw and raffle. Then of course the public were extremely supportive, with tickets snapped up within the first week of going on sale. Had we had more, double the amount of tickets could have been sold, such was the demand. And that is a true reflection of our community, of how local people are absolutely wonderful when it comes to supporting an awesome cause.
Working alongside the event sponsor, Dennis Collins Jewellers, was a delight and we were on the same page when it came to ideas and planning. Dennis Collins has been the sponsor of this event for the past few years now, his generosity and heart for the children who benefit from the dreams simply amazing.
When it came to who we wanted as a guest speaker for the event, Derek Watts of Carte Blanche fame was decided pretty early on. Derek has shown support and has contributed to the Reach for a Dream Foundation for many years now and, coupled with his wealth of experience in television, we knew that he could bring something very special to the occasion.
Derek was more than happy to get involved in the event and his willingness was wonderful. Given his hectic Carte Blanche schedule, I would call him from time to time to find that he was in far-flung places as Hong Kong, and this all added to our excitement of having him join us.
In addition to Derek, we invited international motivational speaker and pastor Marc Morrell to join us, to bring his positive outlook on life and encouraging nature to the morning.
The event, held at the beautiful 2Swans was, of course, a roaring success. The chocolate aspect of it all was obviously a huge drawcard but the stars of the show were most definitely Derek and Marc. The guests absolutely loved them; Marc, with his gentle and perfect delivery and Derek, with his friendly manner and humorous anecdotes of Carte Blanche life. Dennis Collins maintained the smooth running of everything in between and delighted guests by announcing winners of some amazing prizes, including a stunning Tag Heuer watch!
My participation in the co-ordination of this event was most enjoyable and I felt blessed to be a part of it. Thank you so much to the East London community, you are amazing and your continued support for all things great has most definitely not gone unnoticed. And last but by no means least, thank you to the Reach for a Dream Foundation for the opportunity to work alongside you and to see what absolutely incredible work you do, every single day.
Article by Karen Herman
Photography by Shannon Bright