The Cancer Society Ball 2022
The Trafalgar Centre Paru Paru Rd, Nelson – Sat 14 May 2022, 6:30pm–12:00am
The Cooper Group are extremely proud to be the named sponsor for this year’s Cancer Society Charity Ball.
In 2021, The Cooper Group, as a team, decided that we would like to be a part of the efforts to support this crucial organisation. We took on the gold partnership and naming sponsor of the Heritage Homes Tour. As a boutique real estate agency, we felt that the Heritage Homes Tour aligned beautifully with our brand, as we are well versed in representing some of the city’s most beautiful homes. This fundraiser brought home $20,000, even with less tickets selling in the covid environment. Unfortunately, with the traffic light setting at red this year, the Heritage Homes Tour was logistically too difficult to manage safely and therefore unable to go ahead.
The Cooper Group wasn’t happy to step back and let that be that. It only took a cup of coffee and a chin wag with Michelle (manager of the Nelson Cancer Society Centre) to realise that our sponsorship of this Charity Ball is vital. We feel very privileged to be naming sponsor for the 2022 Cancer Society Charity Ball. During my chat with Michelle I was made aware of all that The Nelson Cancer Society does, not only for patients, but for also their families. It is truly extraordinary!
We are all touched by cancer. Whether you’re a son or daughter, father or mother, a partner in life, sister, brother, friend, co-worker, doctor, or patient. Cancer patients and their families deserve access to the best possible support available, and that’s were organisations like Cancer Society Nelson make all the difference.
This is what one year looks like:
- Counselling Sessions – At least 100 sessions to individuals or family members
- Financial welfare grants – there are 108 of these which cover things like grocery vouchers and petrol vouchers, accommodation, rural travel to treatment, family travel, plus any other cancer related costs that are not covered by any other organization.
- Support Groups – This fabulous team runs 8 different support groups throughout the region (Nelson, Motueka, Takaka and Tapawera) with at least 36% of their clients living rurally – so a fair bit of travelling.
The Nelson Cancer Society does not receive any funding from central government. That’s right ZERO dollars!
Each year they need to raise $600,000 a year to provide the current level of support to our region. In the past 2 years, due to lockdowns, event restrictions and traffic light alert levels, the majority of fundraising events have either been cancelled or modified and run on a much smaller scale. The result – the Nelson Cancer Society is more than $250,000 down on their required level of fundraising funds.
The annual charity ball brings home an average of $45,000 for the organisation, most of that coming from the live auctions. This year, I believe we need to dig a little deeper into our hearts and pockets to smash that goal and set a whole new standard. There are some outstanding auction items this year, some of which you can see on the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Cancer-Society-Nelson-232709137083846/
The ball is held at the Trafalgar Centre Saturday 14th May 2022 and includes a fabulous dinner and awesome vibes with Trudi Wilson and the guys from Cover Me and to rock the night away.
See you there!
Words by Debbie Cooper-Norriss
Director & Licensee Agent at the Cooper Group
