Our 'Souper Bowl of Hope' event last Wednesday was a tad different from the American 'Super Bowl'. It was a lot tastier for one, and the proceeds went to charity. This annual event is all about the bowls - and not the balls. It was a fun way to kick off the Christmas spirit and a definite fixture for the annual calendar.
The deal is you pay $25 for your ticket, which goes to help raise funds for young people at risk (street kids, suicidal kids, etc.) For that ticket you get to enjoy a wholesome bowl of soup (seafood chowder, Moroccan cous cous, or Russian Borscht). I had the seafood chowder and it was delicious - and hot into the bargain. You get to take home a lovely hand crafted soup bowl of your choice. There were loads of unique bowls to choose from, neatly arranged on several tables. What fun it was choosing your keepsake bowl.
Everybody was given a useful recyclable shopping bag to bring their beloved bowl home in. And if that wasn't enough pampering, you got to enjoy tasty morsels of dessert with tea and coffee - morsely enough not to incur much damage to the hips, but sufficient to satisfy.
A velvety smooth jazz quartet played background music as fashionistas, and well- intentioned punters viewed the vast array of Silent Auction prizes. I don't know yet how much money was raised, but I suspect it was a tidy sum - I hope so! Young people at risk is a cause very close to my heart. Their lives are ahead of them, and through no fault of their own, many have had sad and very disturbed childhoods. The proceeds go towards helping them get a second chance.
Since it was all about fundraising, various bowls and plates signed by celebrities were auctioned off. Celebrities included Leonard Cohen, John Cleese, Sarah Brightman - in fact all the folk who had visited Victoria in recent times. I was outbid on a plate but at least I tried!! My friends from choir and Tops were selling raffle tickets so Colleen and I bought some from each of them - that put paid to our spending!!
It was a fun event and the Laurel Point Inn was beautifully decked out for Christmas, with all the twinkly bells and whistles. It was terrific value for $25, and I think the soup bowl idea is a great way of raising funds. You win some, you give some...
As with all such events, you learn something new. I picked up some great fashion ideas from ladies I saw walking around. I would not have thought of wearing ankle socks over tights but it works! Striped socks over black tights worn with a black and white polka dot dress, with black and white pearls to match - that was the outfit I gave my first prize to!! I walked over to the lady and told her I loved her outfit. She was thrilled to bits and told me I had made her day!! She was older than me, and it gladdened my heart to know you can be older, and still experiment with fashion - and look great!
I got another great idea from the beauty and simplicity of a Christmas decoration placed on each table. It was so simple, yet very effective, and hand made by each of the volunteers. Find a bare twig from a winter tree, spray it with silver paint. Get a bag of hershey's silver covered chocolate bells, thread each one with red thread, and hang it from the branches of your twig. Place the twig in a plain glass vase (or pasta jar) which has been lined with a red cloth (or even a red napkin). It looks so elegant and yet so simple to do.
Cheers and have a great weekend!
Love,
Patricia xxx
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