Wood nymphs, a whimsical forest and aerial artists suspended on silk ropes – the Airdrie Health Foundation (AHF) gala will have it all Sept. 29, when A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes to Genesis Place Recreation Centre. “We have a very large space at Genesis that you then have to transform into something, and we decided a forest-type atmosphere would be cool,” said Michelle Bates, AHF chair. Event planner Tina Petrow and face-painting artist Amanda Tozser are helping to organize and plan the event, which will feature a plated dinner and live entertainment from Cirque Aerialists Sarah Bella and Jenna Theresa Low, as well as dancers from Airdrie’s Ambition Performing Arts dance studio. This is the fifth year the AHF has held the fundraising gala, which has raised more than $500,000 throughout the past four years, according to Bates. Proceeds allow the foundation to purchase much-needed medical equipment or support programs in the community, Bates said, including the Pregnancy and Beyond program offered by North Rocky View Community Links and the Alberta Health Services/RCMP Mental Health Liaison Team. She said, this year, the AHF will use proceeds from the gala to support something “really new and different – telemedicine.” Currently, Bates said, only two cardiologists come out to see patients in Airdrie – about 14 patients each month. Through telemedicine, cardiologists can interact with patients without leaving their offices – the technology allows doctors to listen to a patient’s heartbeat in real time and take EKG and other readings. This technology will eventually be extended, she added, to help patients with other chronic conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and diabetes. The Highland Primary Care Network (HPCN) is working to bring the technology to Airdrie, according to Bates, and the AHF will provide $50,0000 to purchase the necessary equipment. The silent auction during this year’s gala has an interesting item up for grabs, Bates said, courtesy of Eddie Zaychkowski – a giant pumpkin, weighing in at more than 1,000 pounds, that people can actually stand up in. Last year – the first year it was offered as a silent auction item – the giant pumpkin sold for $2,000 and was used by a Realtor during a special event to promote her business. Tickets to the gala are $150 per person, or $1,200 for a table of eight, and are available at airdriehealthfoundation.ca until Sept. 21 – but Bates said tickets are already 80 per cent sold out. The black-tie affair gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at Genesis Place Recreation Centre.
