Chapter 37: IT’S A SMALL WORLD!

In the hospital, preparations for the charity event were in full swing with ads highlighted on social media and across the local market on hoardings, which read as :
Once Upon A Time...
Pediatric cancer society was charmed with the idea of creating fun games and a legendary Runway Fashion Show fundraising event for their princes and princesses in their lovely kingdom.
This Sunday, the adventure continues, as Fairy Tale Fashion takes over the enchanted Palace Theatre Club with a lot of fun activities for everyone across all ages.
From near and far, across the land, we invite you to join in the festivities, both grand and trite, from The Palace Theatre Club, which will be filled to the brim with beauty, fun games, delicious food and fashions to delight.
In the hospital all the organizers and doctors were amused to read the fundraising pamphlet.
"I'm planning to visit the event with my family," Bennett excitedly said.
"Isabelle, I've heard that Kenji has officially agreed to cover the event for our hospital with the media," Dmitri remarked.
"Yup ! He's a sweetheart who's always game for charity events especially when it's concerned with children," Isabelle commented.
"Guests will enjoy high fashion, delicious foods and a cocktail reception with their partners and kids," informed Bennett.
"Isabelle, you can spend some family time with Kenji and the kids at the event. I'll cover the schedule for you in the hospital on Sunday," Hazel offered.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Hazel for being so considerate and pitching in to help ! Dmitri was right, you're a beautiful soul," complimented Isabelle.
"It's nothing much !" Hazel brushed it off, even though she was blushing. Isabelle complimented her and Dmitri praised about her to another person !
"Dmitri, as you're also on duty this Sunday, if you want we can take Melody with us and the kids. They can have some fun time together," Isabelle suggested.
"Sure ! Melody would love to be with Sarah and Ethan in this event. But, I hope it's not asking too much from you and Kenji as you'll be quite busy and hand full with your own kids," Dmitri replied.
"Don"t worry ! We'll manage but in the evening you'll have to babysit the three kids while Kenji and I attend the networking dinner," Isabelle revealed.
"Done ! It's perfectly fine with me. I'll pick up the kids from the venue exit while coming back from hospital in the evening," Dmitri replied.
"Dr. Hazel, you can come and join us for the networking dinner and can make some new friends in this new city," Isabelle proposed with a wink.
"Thank you, Dr. Isabelle ! But some other time. Right now, I'll just relax in my new home and do some grocery shopping," Hazel explained.
"So, Bennette, how are the event preparations going on ?" Dmitri asked the older man.
"Some charity event ideas which the core event team have incorporated are well-known classics, proven time and time again to bring in major funds, while others are out of the box shindigs meant to help the event stand out and be memorable," Bennette informed.
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On the day of the event, at Dmitri's house...
"Let me get myself dressed first for the hospital, then I'll help the little lady, Melody, work through her fashion emergencies or else I'll get late to attend to my patients because of my princess' demands," murmured Dmitri as they got ready for the Sunday fundraising event.
Once they were both ready, Dmitri dropped Melody at Dr. Isabelle's house and drove straight to the hospital, after deciding the time and place for picking up the kids.
On Sunday, the day of the Fundraising event, once all the preparations were done, the doors were opened to the public and soon it was a packed house.
Kenji and Isabelle took the three kids to the charity event where Rachel, Audrey and Alex were also present and were having fun.
The kids really enjoyed the Dog show. It was great fun and a big hit among the kids. Dog owners of pedigree and some beautiful cross breeds took their dogs for a walk to contest their dogs in different categories like waggiest tail, dog resembling the most like its owner, best dressed dog, fluffiest coat.
"Kids love the great outdoors, so why not move out for the next event into the elements ?" Kenji told Isabelle.
Street art has become very popular all over the globe and smart organizers have leveraged that popularity with charity street art events, often called "paint jams."
Kids joined the street artists to paint live, reeling in fans to watch the artists in action, in-person as well as by live streaming.
Toddlers enjoyed doing palm painting on the walls a lot.
Sarah, Ethan and Melody had painted all over their clothing and made some tattoos accidentally on their lovely faces and other body parts. They enjoyed teasing each other by calling each other with cartoon characters and animal names.
As part of the event, various fundraising activities took place throughout the evening, which included a raffle and selling anniversaries cards designed by local children for the charity as part of a fundraising initiative.
To make the experience even more memorable for the pediatric patients, a reading session was organized where the storyteller narrated a hilarious story in a fully animated way to please the kids and make them forget their pain and suffering for some time.
At the Barbecue, kid"s meal-inspired cuisine consisting of bacon mac and cheese and organic, locally sourced cheesy bites and burgers were prepared by professional chefs for the children"s charity event.
Kids could be seen relishing the freshly baked cupcakes and pies at the bakery sale. Alex enjoyed having blueberry tarts with Rachel and Audrey.
There was a great rush of the elderly near the Tambola where a lively and fun enthusiast took the stand. There were plenty of prizes and everybody enjoyed winning something at the game.
There was also a Silent and a Live Auction in place. An auctioneer engaged attendees and encouraged guests to call out bids in live auction. While in Silent auctions attendees wrote their bids on pieces of paper.
"Travel packages regularly tops the list of the best auction items and for good reason– they work pretty well ! A travel package is a showstopping item to attract a lot of attention for such events," Rachel explained to Audrey.
"I think, all that matters is that the winner of this item is able to get away from their day to day life to enjoy some traveling, an adventure, or a novel experience away from home," Audrey responded.
"True ! More than 50%, affluent adults in the charity auction demographic put away money for leisure travel each year. That being the case, travel-related items are widely popular, surefire sellers that bring in big bucks to fundraising," Rachel shared.
"Let's also at least plan one vacation every year like this one. Let us also silently bid," Audrey suggested in humour.
From paintings and sculptures to glass work and jewelry, custom artwork was on display by local vendors for sale. Band of local artists played near the craft stall.
Isabelle was tempted to do some eye-feasting and purchase these creative items but kids made sure with their tantrums to drag her into the games section.
To make event attendees feel relaxed and rejuvenated after a wonderful day of giving, chair massages and sipping on custom cocktails from the bar was arranged but ironically the most exhausted parents were the only ones who couldn't avail the pampering.
An alumnae group of sorority showcased boutique fashions, skincare and cosmetics. Fashion is ever changing, which created a never-ending interest in the latest looks for the young women.
It was amazing to see how each aspect of the show came together to able to positively influence the community and support a good cause. It was extremely rewarding for the organizers.
"The change in these charity events has been "unprecedented." "It"s been a new learning experience, but overall it has been nothing less than good," Rachel complimented.
"Does the audience affect your walking on the ramp ?" Rachel asked as Audrey was now about to leave and get ready for the fashion show.
"As a model, it's my job to do complete justice to the ensemble and make it look great. I certainly love the energy of a place roaring with an audience," Audrey shared. "I still see the fashion show as a grand finale of a creative process," Audrey added as she waved goodbye to Alex and Rachel.
As the people got ready for the fashion show to commence and took their seats in the hall, Isabelle got the first row seats with the kids while Kenji got ready with his cameras and other photography equipment.
Hosts of the event weaved stories that made the audience feel emotionally connected to the cause, and helped in making connections between esoteric ideas and real-life actions.
They created a fun atmosphere as did DJ Graham who mixed tracks all day long and kept the event upbeat and exciting.
Dozens of men and women whose lives have been affected with cancer also did catwalk in a bid to raise money. Many of the models have been diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives- some of whom were still undergoing treatment and knew first hand the grueling impact the disease had on their bodies, confidence, and mental health.
The dazzling models entered the spirit of the evening after them, as they strutted and danced their way down the catwalk, much to everyone"s delight.
They showcased a range of day wear, stunning bridal wear and beautiful evening wear featuring the latest lines of clothing available from several high street stores, who kindly supported the event and the cause.
Just moments before hitting the catwalk, Audrey got ready with her hair swept into a high bun with a delicate headpiece, professional make-up and her model frame flattered by the curves of the gown, she quickly turned into a natural.
Audrey scorched the stage in a red dress as other models joined her onstage and sashayed down the ramp to Caribbean music.
The event concluded with an unforgettable finale featuring Audrey, who glamorously modeled the evening wear collection, followed by a superb live performance from a soul singer.
While playing with her ball, Melody accidentally walked up to the ramp and had a fun time picking up her rolling ball from the ramp.