Her Campus had the fantastic opportunity to sit down with Erica Orecchio and Jamie Smith to discuss a wonderful event coming up; Shaken Not Stirred: Operation Wish. These amazing organizers from Algonquin College’s Event Management program are putting in a lot of work to pull off what is sure to be an exciting and successful fundraising gala for the Children’s Wish Foundation.
Her Campus uOttawa: Tell us a little bit about the event!
Erica & Jamie: This event has been in the works since September so we are incredibly excited that it’s finally coming together. The gala is supporting the Children’s Wish Foundation, an organization that Algonquin College has been in partnership with for quite some time now. The gala will be held on March 4th at the Nepean Sportsplex. There will be a silent auction, catered dinner and a time for various speakers from Children’s Wish to share their experiences. We started out with a zero dollar budget and we are aiming for 120 people in attendance so this event has been put on entirely through the generosity of local businesses. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite for $50. The event is an all ages event and you can buy your tickets until March 1st!
HCuO: A James Bond themed evening is sure to be exciting. Where did you get the idea for the event?
E & J: James Bond is a great theme because it all age groups can connect to it, but we’re adding a bit of a twist to the evening! The event will actually be a “villains gala”. We will be turning the ball room of the Sportsplex into the Whyte House casino with real villains wandering around throughout the evening. Our event will be hosted by the head of Spectre, the global criminal organization destined to stop James Bond. We hope that the minute our guests step into the ‘casino’ for an evening of celebration, they will feel transformed by this very classy, very top secret event.
HCuO: Do you have a favourite James Bond film?
E & J: All of the movies are great but for both of us it would definitely be Daniel Craig’ Casino Royale. The older James Bond movies have a different feel to it though, with a classic spy feeling to them.
HCuO: What do you love most about the Children’s Wish Foundation?
E & J: The Children’s Wish foundation is absolutely incredible. It is amazing that they have the resources to support children who are going through difficult times in their lives, along with their family members as well. Children’s Wish has granted over 23,000 wishes for children which is a huge task but it is so worth it! Children’s Wish also brings awareness to childhood diseases and illnesses which is really important as well. Algonquin College’s goal is to raise 1 million dollars for Children’s Wish and we believe that currently we’re at around $850,000.
HCuO: How can people get more involved with an amazing cause like the Children’s Wish Foundation?
E & J: Buying tickets to the gala is probably the easiest way to get involved! It will be a great evening of fun and excitement for everyone. Tickets are $50 but it is definitely worth it. If you’re a little tight on money, you can still get involved with the Children’s Wish foundation. You can plan your own events or volunteer your time. Spreading awareness about the organization is also incredibly important.
HCuO: What is your role within this event and within the organization?
Jamie: I am the facilitator so I help run meetings, keep track of dates and do a lot of the on the ground work.
Erica: I do a lot of the admin work which includes write the event resume, edit a lot of documents, and a lot of the behind the scenes work.
E & J: Everyone is a team though. Between ourselves and the other event planners working on this gala, we work incredibly closely and always try to support each other. We all work to get donations and to make sure the event runs as smoothly as possible. There are five of us on this team.
HCuO: That’s about it for us! Any last comments to the future secret agents?
E & J: We can’t wait for this event to take place and we hope to see a lot of people in attendance for Operation Wish!
HCuO: Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us! We have no doubt that the gala will be a thrilling time! Hopefully we’ll see some of you collegiettes amongst the spies on March 4th!
You can purchase tickets here to attend the Shaken Not Stirred: Operation Wish event!