THUNDER BAY – HEALTH – Traditionally, tin and aluminum are used to celebrate a tenth wedding anniversary. Representing strength and flexibility, they celebrate a marriage that’s lasted a decade.
For members of the Balmoral Park Acura Save a Heart Ball committee, tin and aluminum didn’t come to mind to celebrate 10 years of the Ball, but they did want to plan an appropriate celebration to signify 10 years of the event’s contribution to cardiac care in Thunder Bay.
“When the Ball first started in 2005, it was the realization of an idea I’d had for a fundraising ball after my father had a heart attack in 2002,” said Vince Mirabelli, Co-Chair of the Save a Heart Ball. “It was very personal for me, and I wanted to be able to say thank you to the facility and professionals that saved my father’s life.”
“Having served on the committee for the past 10 years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many people in our community who care just as passionately as I do about world-class cardiac care,” he added. “To me, that’s been one of most rewarding aspects of this work – the absolute willingness of so many to dig in, get the work done, and ensure our families and friends have access to the best cardiac care.”
Each year there’s lots of work to be done in anticipation of the Ball. With this being the 10th Anniversary, organizers decided an extra bit of ‘special’ needed to be added to the Ball.
“Don’t get me wrong – every year the Ball is one of the highlights of Thunder Bay’s social scene,” said Sean Davies, Co-Chair. “People are dressed to the nines, I change outfits several times during the evening, thanks to Mister J Men’s Fashions, and guests are treated like royalty. But for our 10th Anniversary, we wanted to up our game. So, during the champagne reception prior to dinner, we have Danny Johnson delighting guests on the piano, during dinner we have a harpist playing, and then, when the party gets going, we have Viva to get the crowd on their feet.”
As always, the event will feature a gourmet 5-course meal at the Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre, along with spectacular auctions. Additionally, guests can feed their sweet tooth at the candy bar, and for late-night munchies, a midnight buffet will satisfy cravings.
Proceeds from the Ball will go to the Northern Cardiac Fund to support advancements in cardiac care at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
“We recently had a chance to tour the cardiac cath lab at the hospital,” added Davies. “I was blown away by the complexity of the equipment that’s there. We were shown the two labs, each of which have a C-arm, or special imaging equipment to see inside arteries. I was shocked to learn that our interventional cardiologists do over 2,100 cardiac catheterizations every year and just over 700 angioplasties.”
In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Save a Heart Ball, donations will directly fund the new C-arm that was recently replaced in one of the cath labs.
“This life-saving piece of equipment is $1.4 million,” said Mirabelli, “but let me tell you, every penny is worth it when it comes to your family member’s life. I hope to see lots of people at the Ball as we celebrate a very special milestone in this event’s history and what it has done for cardiac care in our community.”
Balmoral Park Acura Save a Heart Ball
Saturday, October 17
Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre
Tickets $150
Available at: healthsciencesfoundation.ca or 345-4673.
