Dressed to the nines in black tie and ball gowns, guests at the 12th Annual Sunflower Fund Charity Ball, in association with IBV Gold, enjoyed an evening of glitz and glamour at the magnificent Southern Sun Elangeni and Maharani Hotel on Friday 11 May. Also in attendance was the honourable Madam Deputy Major, Fawzia Peer. Regarded as one of Durban’s premier charity events, some of the spoils included KWV sparkling wine on arrival, indulgent dark Lindt chocolate as well as photo mementoes by Retro Photo Booth.
With iridescent hues of rose gold and copper, the team from Plan Ahead Events & Décor, Cheers Hiring & Events and floral artist Carey Lee transformed the Great Illanga Room into a magical oasis. Executive chef, Shawn Munro, prepared the evening’s haute cuisine and the dessert selection saw the debut of Chateau Gateaux’s brand new salted caramel baked cheesecake. Other indulgences included an Elizabeth Arden gift per lady and a Sorbet La Lucia treatment voucher for each guest.
The talented Liesl Coppin did a sterling job as compère on the evening and David Gouldie of Urban Edge Productions coordinated a stellar entertainment line-up, which included renowned performers Samantha Peo and Evan Roberts. Black Coffee Designs managed the sound, lighting and staging requirements of the night. The Sunflower Fund’s Regional Manager, Stephanie Berry, delivered an exhilarating speech which touched on the exciting developments at the organisation and also reflected on the gift of gratitude which was this year’s integrated theme.
Following a moving DVD, Graeme Hawkins from Gold Circle conducted a hugely successful auction which raised just over R100 000, and prizes given away on the night included a pair of UB40 concert tickets and a weekend stay for two people at the Premier Hotel Sani Pass.
A big thank you to sponsors IBV Gold, TopMed Medical Scheme, Sweidan & Co., Trellidor, Araujo Attorneys, Fishwicks Printers, Plan Ahead Events and Décor, Cheers Hiring and Events, Carey Lee, Southern Sun, KWV, Elizabeth Arden, Chateau Gateaux, Sorbet La Lucia, Urban Edge Productions, Black Coffee, Amehlo Video Productions, Gold Circle, Val Adamson Photography, Terry Hayward, Retro Photo Booth, DJ Deon Rascal and Millhouse Design for making the evening possible.
Funds raised from the glamorous charity ball will enable The Sunflower Fund to create awareness and education about blood stem cell donation, recruit more blood stem cell donors, grow the patient support fund and maintain a registry of committed donors. This, in turn, means greater hope of life for patients who are diagnosed with life-threatening blood diseases and who are in need of a blood stem cell transplant from a matching unrelated donor.
For more information on The Sunflower Fund or how to become a blood stem cell donor, please visit www.sunflowerfund.org.za or phone toll-free 0800 12 10 82.
Photo Credit: Terry Haywood Photography.
