The North Delta Rotary Club held an Oscar night fundraiser at the Taj Park Convention Centre, filling the hollywood-styled room with well-dressed men and women.
“A lot of men had to find their suits,” said North Delta Rotary president Bonnie Sutherland. “My husband wouldn’t have been able to fit in his tux, but I did see someone in a tux a minute ago and I thought, ‘Good for you.’”
This is the second year that Rotary has thrown an Oscar night party. The first was at the Delta Lion Pub two years ago and they sold 77 tickets. This year, they sold 134 tickets.
Sutherland said she wasn’t surprised by the number of tickets sold.
“Everybody’s had a lousy winter,” she said. “They’ve been indoors and closed up. So finally to get out, [it’s like,] ‘My god, I’m out’.”
People could get their pictures taken on the red carpet — using a green screen, of course — with a variety of props in the photo booth. There was Oscar-themed bingo, a 50/50 draw, a toonie toss, and both silent and live auctions throughout the night.
In total, the night raised more than $4,759. Proceeds will go to support the Starfish Pack program, which gives students a backpack full of food to take home over the weekend, as well as other Rotary initiatives, such as the new pump bike track at North Delta Community Park.
There were also additional donations, totalling $4,450, from Sutherland and fellow Rotarians Elgin Duke, Maurice Bouchard and Ishtiaq Salim.