Newsletter Story | The Green Gala – an Unforgettable Charity Evening

There was special excitement in our office on a cold March day this year. We were wrapping up a weekly Development Team meeting and Markku Kostamo (Executive Director of A Rocha Canada) proposed that we discuss a very unique opportunity. He started in his usual manner by saying, “what would you think if we hosted a major charity event while the board of A Rocha International is in town?” He went on to suggest that the venue could be the Beaty Biodiversity Museum on the UBC campus! Without hesitation, we were inspired by this BIG idea and opportunity to bring together a great cast of people.

Straight away, we started working on the communications strategy for this BIG event. There needed to be emails, new web content, banners, a flyer, posters and advertisements—the “works,” as my dad says! Beyond that, we needed a purposeful way to attract major donors to an event they would not want to miss. This event, combined with two other major events, made for a very full summer and fall.

In the midst of preparing for this big event, something wonderfully “A Rocha” took over—other priorities! We were behind schedule on our new website for a peer-to-peer fundraising event called Run for the River. Thankfully it all came together in the end, including sunny skies. Then, there were preparations for the Venture Impact Investing Breakfast on November 1st, two days before The Green Gala. This event was for business leaders in the Vancouver area and created space for the “Profit & Purpose” conversation. Lindsey (my wife) was heavily involved in this event because she has been working as Markku’s Executive Assistant for the past year. It turned into a family affair since Mom & Dad were in town.

This story closes with much joy and thanksgiving! As it happened, November 3rd was my MBA graduation from Trinity Western and the main reason why my parents were in Vancouver—the same day as The Green Gala! In the morning and afternoon, we attended the graduation rehearsal and ceremony and then rushed from Abbotsford to UBC (1.5 hours drive) to help with the final preparations for the Green Gala.

What a privilege it was to share A Rocha’s International work with so many people, including family and close friends. The food, music, museum tours and stories felt like the culmination of so much hard work—the party and feast following months of labour. This culmination was also a beginning point for another very significant event that we shared with our parents while they were in Vancouver. Click here to watch the video and reveal this surprise!