On Saturday night, Casey House took its annual fund-raiser, the SnowBall, to a new venue: the Avenue Road furniture showroom. Rarely available for events, the site has previously never hosted one held by a foundation without ties to the design community. However, with event chairs hailing from the design industry as well as a few internal connections to Avenue Road, Casey House was able to secure the space.
As the site limited the seating capacity for the fund-raiser's dinner, the organizers developed a tiered event format, where a higher-priced ticket gave guests access to the 250-person dinner, while a less expensive option saw an additional 350 attendees join the event for a post-dinner reception dubbed the Lounge Party. “The Lounge Party allowed us to be more inclusive and make use of all of the space,” said Cheryl Midgley, manager of special events at the Casey House Foundation. “The two different price points worked well, too.”
The airy, glass-walled venue also influenced the night's visuals. Inspired by the elements, the organizers incorporated earth, wind, water, and fire into the decor. The long space also lent itself to harvest-style dinner tables and the open, three-storey atrium was spacious enough for aerial circus performances.
For the decor, Casey House brought on artist and designer Barr Gilmore, who created video projections based on scenes from nature. The moving images were projected on a three-storey glass wall for the duration of the gala, and Gilmore complemented this with different sounds, like dripping water and bird songs, throughout the venue. Colourful LED lights inspired by the elements lined each floor. The lower level, where the after-party was held, was uplit in fiery reds, the second floor in earthy yellows and greens, and the top floor, where guests dined, in cool blues and purples.
Generous donations from sponsors and vendors considerably lowered costs for this year’s gala, allowing Casey House to raise a record $340,000. The Casey House Foundation provides care and community programs to people living with HIV and AIDS in Toronto.
