GUELPH – A group of Grade 12 students is aiming to Redefine Gala at an upcoming youth-led fundraising event.
The Beyond Borders Redefine Gala is set for 6pm on Jan. 18 at the River Run Centre in Guelph, and will raise funds for the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington, the Make Your Mark Foundation and the Beyond Borders program.
Through ticket sales and a silent auction, students have set their sights on raising more than $132,000 – the record amount raised at previous Beyond Borders galas. Students anticipate more than 700 people to attend the gala.
Entertainment will feature a performance from Alexa Goldie, a Canadian country singer-songwriter who is travelling all the way from Nashville for the gala.
Other performers include award-winning Guelph musician CJ Cooper, acoustic singer-songwriter Drew McIvor, songwriter and musician Shane Phillips from Fergus and Guelph’s Performance Dance Academy.
Beyond Borders is an experiential learning program for Grade 12 students that “integrates academics with real-world applications, focusing on business leadership and community engagement,” students state in a press release about the gala.
“Students gain unique opportunities to step outside traditional learning environments, tackle challenges with confidence, and develop a deep sense of responsibility through collaborative projects and meaningful community contributions,” the release continues.
Over its 12-year history, Beyond Borders students have raised more than $1 million for local causes.
The 56 students in the program this year have been organizing the Redefine Gala for the last six months, student and director of marketing and creative Jack McEachern told the Advertiser.
With just over a week left until the big day, he said “the pieces are falling into place” and that the students had done “the best job we possibly can” to prepare.
McEachern said the causes picked as recipients of the funds raised are “incredibly important to the students.”
The Children’s Foundation officials supports more than 20,000 children and youth annually by providing over two million healthy meals and snacks at schools, funding more than 1,350 recreational and life-skill activities, delivering holiday gift packages to more than 1,500 families and providing educational and mental health supports, according to officials.
The Make Your Mark Foundation formed after 10-year-old Kayla Chadwick died due to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in 2019 and raises money to support funding and research for SUDEP. McEachern said there is a student in this year’s Beyond Borders program who is personally effected by this the Make Your Mark Foundation’s cause, “so it means a lot to us.”
In 2023, the Beyond Borders gala supported the same two foundations, along with the the David Suzuki Foundation and the Guelph General Hospital. That gala raised $121,000.
From left, four of the 60 2023-24 Beyond Borders students: Emerson Harris, Nivea Rakesh, Adelaide Copp and Lily Butler. Photo by Robin George
Last year the gala raised $132,000 for the Guelph General Hospital, Doctors Without Borders, and the Beyond Borders program.
McEachern said working with his classmates to organize the gala taught him a lot about leadership, as his role involves leading the marketing and creative department. This leadership learning includes time management, flexibility, “making sure I’m as available as I possibly can be for my team, and making sure everyone in my team feels as valued as I possibly can.”
Overall, he said the Beyond Borders program has shown him the importance of building bridges, or connections with those around him.
When he walked into class on the first day in September, McEachern said he “didn’t know a single soul there.” But now, four months into the program, he said he’s made “lifelong friends.”
When it comes to the big night, McEachern said he’s most looking forward to seeing the team’s hard work come together and to share it with the public.
“I will probably be very emotional,” he said. “It’s very exciting for me.”
Sponsors of the Redefine Gala include Linamar, Arthur Electric, Syngenta, Coldwell Banker Neumann Real Estate, the Bookshelf, London Property Corp and BRX Mortgage.
For more information, follow this year’s Beyond Borders on Facebook, X or Instagram.
To purchase tickets visit the River Run Centre.
