True North hosting gala to celebrate local achievement

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

True North, the organization recently rebranded from being the Wheatland Crisis Society, is hosting a gala to celebrate 30 years of working to end abuse within the local community. 

“We are going to have a big gala celebrating all our hard work and our goals for the future, and really getting our community involved in what have done, where we are going, and how we would like to continue growing and engaging with everybody this year,” said Amanda Vanderlaan, administrative assistant and public educator with True North. 

The event will be Black and White themed, with guests being asked to dress formally in those colours for an evening of elegance, dueling pianos, food, and coming together for celebration. 

For True North, the gala is an annual event, save for being unable to host during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year is the second since gatherings were able to resume that the gala will be taking place. 

“Community involvement has been foundational to us. Since our inception, we have relied on our community to help support our programming and services,” Vanderlaan added. “To be able to get back into the community and celebrate and get involved, answer questions and just get together has been really rewarding.”

The Gala is scheduled to be taking place Sept. 30 at the Klaiber Historical Legacy Barn starting at 5:30 p.m. 

The public is invited to attend, with tickets available for purchase through the True North Website. In addition to being a celebration, funds raised through ticket sales, as well as silent auction and 50/50 raffle will be designated to aid True North in their services throughout the year. 

“We do offer sponsorship opportunities, which help us raise funds for our programming … the community is welcome to donate and participate … and we typically also do a WestJet raffle as part of one of our prizes,” said Vanderlaan. “We have received a pretty good response so far, and people are excited. The idea of the elegant gala and the pianos is really exciting for people.”

Due to the size of the venue, attendance is limited and tickets may sell out, should there be sufficient interest. 

Vanderlaan emphasized that True North as an organization would not be in service to the community without their continued involvement and support. 

Folks looking for more information regarding the event or who wish to purchase a ticket are able to find and do so through the True North website.