It’s no surprise. One of the year’s hottest events is well on its way to selling out.
Tickets for this year’s highly anticipated Camp fYrefly Gala and Silent Auction are almost all gone, even though it’s being held at a larger venue this year just to accommodate the growing crowd of supporters. As of yesterday afternoon, only 15 tickets were available.
“We upped our capacity to 150 this year. We moved to a new larger space, which is great,” said organizer Kristopher Wells.
He’s very happy with the news but is still conscious of keeping the primary fundraiser as small as possible at the same time. The last thing he wants is a room of 500 people who don’t know each other and don’t know why they’re there.
“We want to keep a focus on the intimacy of the event. It gives everyone a chance to mix and mingle, talk to each other, build community … that’s really what the camp is about.”
The researcher with the University of Alberta’s Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services co-founded Camp fYrefly six years ago with Dr. AndrĂ© P. Grace. They recognized that the young LGBTTQ&A (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified, two-spirited, queer, and allied) community needed nurturing and mentorship.
The structured atmosphere of the weeklong retreat provides adult-facilitated and peer-led activities to foster self-esteem, social understanding, and leadership skills for people aged 14 to 24. In the past it has been held in St. Albert and has been proven to be so popular that British Columbia and Saskatchewan have started their own camps as well.
Wells added that many artists, politicians and the business community have been very supportive as well with donations for the silent auction itself. He said that it means a great deal to see donations from people who don’t come from the LGBTTQ&A community itself.
“When the auction first started, we just looked within the LGBT community for support. Ever since then it’s expanded much more broadly.”
He said that businesses from St. Albert are always welcome and encouraged to help out with auction items or sponsorship as well.
Sponsoring an attendee for the camp costs $300. Attendees only pay $25. This year’s camp takes place in July.
Preview<br />Boas and Bow Ties<br />Camp fYrefly's 6th annual Gala and Silent Auction
Saturday, March 5 from 8 to 11 p.m.
La Piazza Dasee
8004 Gateway Blvd.
Phone 780-437-1380
To view auction items or make an online bid, please visit devinewines.ca/eventAuctions/fyrefly_auction.html
Each $100 ticket provides a $60 tax-deductible contribution to the camp.
Call 780-492-0772 or visit www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca for more information about the camp or the University of Alberta's Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services.
