There is no more noble cause than helping women and children, and the upcoming Diamond Dinner aims to do just that.
Proceeds from the annual Women’s Contact Society’s event, set to take place Oct. 26 this year, will go to support the local Good Food Box program for women and also children programming at the Child Development Centre.
One of its big supporters is Woodland Jewellers.
“Both programs are worthwhile because they benefit the community,” said Cindy Watt, Woodland’s CEO.
While the diamond dinner will pass its ninth annual mark, Woodlands will be celebrating its 80th anniversary.
“We have been sponsoring many community events over the years and we feel the diamond dinner is beneficial to our community,” Watt said.
The diamond up for raffle is a 35 point white Canadian diamond, from the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories, valued at $1,950.
Then Woodland’s jeweller Geoff Bourdon will contribute $1,200 worth of designing and making a piece of jewellery to set the diamond.
“It’s a lot of fun to go through the design process,” Bourdon said.
“A lot of people in their daily lives don’t get the chance to be creative, so to sit down and have a clean slate, where I’m there to help with the technical, but for them to design and actually think about what they like and don’t like, is a lot of fun to watch.”
All designs are completely open to whatever the winner wants, Bourdon added.
Some winners will take stones out of other jewellery they own or buy some other diamonds to incorporate in the design, Watt said.
“Each experience is unique to what the person’s desires are.”
The dinner will take place at Signal Point Restaurant with a live auction and silent auction, said Women’s Contact Society executive director Irene Willsie and raffle tickets for the diamond at the Child Development Centre or the Women’s Contact Society.
“It is an elegant event that is a pleasure to attend and to raise awareness for both organizations,” she said, adding there is a limit of 110 tickets for the dinner.
On average the event has raised around $10,000, and in 2012 raised $12,000.